Ever since I figured out my sexuality at the age of 17, I had been struggling to live my life like I want. After gathering all my strength, I came out to my mother and she asked me all kinds of questions. After hearing me out, she told me that I shouldn’t talk to anyone about my sexuality, just so I could be protected from those in the society that are not accepting of other sexual orientations.

A few years later, we got an opportunity to move out of India and to Canada, and this was the turning point of my life. I saw how the people and the law were different from where I was born and I tasted true freedom. It was then that I told my mom that I wanted my own family, where I get to stay with a male partner. She promised me that she will find such a man for me, or that I am free to find someone I like myself.

I dated for a couple of years, and grew tired after so many breakups- especially because my partners were either afraid of society, had unsupportive environments or were worried about their career.

We met on a dating app in August 2018 when I downloaded the application after seeing someone else use it. Two days after downloading the app, I happened to see this guy broadcasting a video, and I thought that he seemed decent and polite. He was asking for a serious relationship, and after a few hours of watching his broadcasts, we started talking on Whatsapp. I was so excited to see him and was immediately attracted to him, and this attraction only grew through the hours and hours we spent talking to each other on call. I felt like this person was so full of courage and a hunger for love that I couldn’t live apart from him for even a second. I immediately texted a friend of mine saying that I found a person I want to date. Because I was in Canada and he was in India, I booked a one way ticket for the 17^th of September. I told my mother and sister that I found someone I really connected with, and so didn’t know when I can go home. My mother and sister hugged me and we had an emotional goodbye.

Akash left his home telling his parents that he wanted to live his life with who he wanted and came to Delhi. We met for the first time at 11:30 pm on September 18^th at Delhi Airport (T3). He came closer to me to give me a welcome kiss and a tight hug, but I was a little nervous of the people around us, so I stopped. We booked a cab to reach home, and throughout the cab ride, all we could think of was holding, feeling and touching each other.

I proposed to Akash to become my life partner on September 21, 2018. He said yes and we soon started buying household items for our new life together. My mother came to India from Canada and arranged an engagement ceremony for us on November 24^th , 2019, the same day Delhi was celebrating Pride. We attended pride, and then went for our engagement. One of the roadblocks we came across was being able to find a priest in India. Nevertheless, we did the rest of the rituals that binds us as a same sex couple. We were joined in the ceremony by our family, relatives, and friends who were there to cheer us up by giving us their blessings, dancing and having fun on our special day.

We finally could pronounce ourselves – “Husband & Husband”.