#ClosetsNoMore: Mumbai man's Facebook post on coming out goes viral
It was all cheers and happy tears in the compound of Supreme Court and the country, in general, on Thursday as the apex court declared homosexuality was no longer a crime in India. With the reading down of Section 377, the LGBTQ+ community rejoiced, and those who understood their battles joined. Amid all the celebrations, a Mumbai man's post on homosexuality has gone viral.
Meet Arnab Nandy, the man whose story is winning hearts
In a long Facebook post, Arnab Nandy wrote about his sexuality, the problems he faced, and how the judgment ensured he wasn't a criminal in this country. "Two years ago I lived a life which was not letting me live like a free bird," he wrote. From there he started the journey of self-exploration. Socializing with the community helped him fight battles in head.
Friends and parents supported Arnab
Arnab came out to his best friend Nikhil, first. He described the feeling as 'a butterfly coming out of a cocoon'. His college friends' support was also heart-warming, he wrote. He knew he had to tell his parents one day, and when he did, the response wasn't negative, surprisingly. They had doubts though, and so Arnab decided to wait before coming out in public.
Congrats son, now it's legal, parents told Arnab
"Today as I entered my home mom and dad gave me tight hug and said in their happy face 'Congratulations Son now it's legal' and I couldn't help but let out tears of joy (I'm getting this sudden tear burst even while writing this)," he wrote.
After the judgement, what's next for LGBTQ+ community, Arnab explains
Arnab revealed his mother has been sensitizing people around her, and now his father can fight for him keeping fears at bay. About the future, Arnab wrote, "Now the next step is awareness so that we live in harmony along with our fellow Indians," and called for a friendly place. Since it was posted 18 hours ago, the post has received 4.7K shares.
Read the educating and moving post here
Supreme Court has taken a step, it's society's turn now
Like Arnab pointed out, there is still a long way to go, and reading down Section 377 is just the start. For the LGBTQ+ community to be given their share of rights, we need to be more accepting, less judgmental and fight homophobia.