History

Since 1987, when the national press carried the story of two policewomen who
married each other by Hindu rites in central India, the press has reported many same-sex
marriages, all over the country, mostly between lower middle class young women in small
towns and rural areas, who have no contact with any gay movement. Family reactions range
from support to disapproval to violent persecution. While police generally harass such
couples, Indian courts have uniformly upheld their right, as adults, to live with whomever
they wish. In recent years, some of these couples have appeared on television as well. There
have also been numerous joint suicides by same-sex couples, mostly female (male-female
couples also resort to suicide or to elopement and religious marriage when their families
oppose their unions).

In "Same-Sex Love in India : Readings from Literature and History", author Ruth
Vanita analyses dozens of such marriages and suicides that have taken place over the last
three decades, and explores their legal, religious, and historical aspects. She argues that many
of the marriages can arguably be considered legally valid, as under the Hindu Marriage Act,
1955, any marriage between two Hindus performed according to the customs prevalent in the
community of one of the two partners is legally valid. No license is required to marry, and
most heterosexual Hindu marriages in India today are performed by religious rites alone,
without a marriage license and are never registered with the state. State recognition is not
sought by most couples because it confers few benefits. Most couples seek the validation of
family and community, and several female couples in rural areas and small towns have
received this validation.

There have also been a couple of high-profile celebrity same-sex civil-partnerships (same-sex
marriage was not possible under French law until 2013, only civil-partnerships), such as the
civil union of designer Wendell Rodricks with his French partner Jerome Marrel, conducted
under French law in Goa, India.

In February 2017, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare unveiled resource material
relating to health issues to be used as a part of a nationwide adolescent peer-education plan
called Saathiya. Among other subjects, the material discusses homosexuality. The material
states, "Yes, adolescents frequently fall in love. They can feel attraction for a friend or any
individual of the same or opposite sex. It is normal to have special feelings for someone. It is
important for adolescents to understand that such relationships are based on mutual consent,
trust, transparency and respect. It is alright to talk about such feelings to the person for whom
you have them but always in a respectful manner."