#DearPM: A same-sex couple's heart-wrenching appeal

"Not recognising same-sex marriage will cause havoc in our daily lives." Last year, this couple had an appeal to the Prime Minister.

Transcript

00:00Dear Prime Minister, we want to talk to you about our marriage.

00:04And not just ours, sir. We want to talk about all the Indian citizens who are in same-sex relationships and want to get married.

00:13I'm Shantika and this is my… this is Nik.

00:17I wanted to say wife or partner, but the Centre's opposition to same-sex marriage denies us that right.

00:24Denies us the right to legal and social legitimacy of our relationship.

00:29A basic right, sir, that every other straight citizen of this country has, but not us.

00:35Why are we less as Indian citizens?

00:38For Shantika and I, we are each other's family.

00:41We are together since nearly four years now.

00:45We live together, we work together, we cook together, we have even built a home together.

00:50And for all intent and purposes, I see her as my wife.

00:55And why are we telling you this?

00:58Because, sir, marriage is marriage. Our marriage is a court case.

01:03Centre opposes same-sex marriage, saying it will cause complete havoc.

01:07But not recognising it will cause havoc in our daily lives.

01:11On the legal front, everything that comes with a marriage right.

01:15Can I leave my home to Shantika? Can I buy her medical insurance?

01:20And socially, sir, even though we are a family, but we are still viewed as friends.

01:26We are seen as these two single girls that just live together.

01:32And just imagine this scenario.

01:35Let's say Nick and I, we stay together for the next 20-30 years.

01:40And 20 years down the lane, God forbid, she falls sick and is in the ICU.

01:47I won't even be seen as family, let alone her wife, when it comes to making medical decisions.

01:54I'll just be disregarded as a friend after 20 years together.

01:59Sir, recently, the central government, while opposing the same-sex marriage plea,

02:04said that same-sex relationship cannot be compared to the Indian concept of family,

02:09which is a husband, wife and a child born out of their union.

02:13We are in 2023, and there can't be just one definition of family unit.

02:19Given the population of this country, should procreation be the only reason for marriage?

02:24So why limit this definition of Indian family unit when it comes to us?

02:29It is an issue of high importance, not just in terms of how it impacts our personal life,

02:36but also whether or not we are a country that views all its citizens equally.

02:42So sir, the point is that we should also get the right to get married.

02:47Because we are also an Indian family unit, sir.

02:52We, the queer citizens of India, deserve the same right as every other citizen in this country.

03:00And we'd like to appeal to you to please see that.