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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThese traditional Indian parents threw their son a big gay Hindu wedding
Source: Metro UK, 1 Jun 2016
This story of how a traditional Indian couple embraced their sons sexuality and threw him a fabulous big gay Hindu wedding has inspired Indian families worldwide.
It is still illegal to be gay in India and homosexuality is still a hugely taboo subject among traditional Indian families.
Which makes Rishi Agarwals story all the more powerful.
Despite his parents relocating to Canada in the 1970s, Rishi had a traditional Hindu upbringing and his faith was always extremely important to him. He always wanted a traditional Hindu wedding.
But as a young gay man, he feared he would never be able to have that dream big day and he struggled to come to terms with his identity. A gay Sikh student he knew at high school had committed suicide after his parents refused to accept his homosexuality.
When he finally came out to his parents Vijay and Sushma Agarwal in 2004, the news came as a huge shock. We both were stunned, recalls Vijay, 68. Rishis mum Sushma, 61, was initially devastated by the news.
But, instead of rejecting him, Rishis parents spent the next 72 hours learning as much as they could about the LGBT community. They started attending regular meetings of the Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays chapter in Toronto.
Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2016/06/01/these-traditional-indian-parents-threw-their-son-a-big-gay-hindu-wedding-5916929/
Raster
(20,998 posts)That rates a big ol': NAMASTE!
irisblue
(32,982 posts)smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)K&R
JI7
(89,252 posts)a hetero one with a muslim.
renate
(13,776 posts)Wonderful for the son, wonderful for his husband, and wonderful for his parents who will continue to have a warm, loving, accepting, unconditionally loving relationship with their son.
This warms my heart. Thanks for posting it!