Last week, as the Gay Pride March came to a brief halt near K.G. Marg, a middle-aged woman stood alone, carrying a placard that said: ‘Proud Mother’. She had come here in support of her daughter. Did she feel apprehensive? “Not at all. Awareness creates an understanding that being gay is not unnatural,” she said.

At one of the most vibrant gatherings in recent memory, what was she going through? “I feel very proud that my daughter is part of the community. It is poignant to see the support we are getting today,” she said, just days before last week’s landmark HC judgment decriminalising homosexuality.

While denying that she had to overcome any mental barriers when faced with her daughter’s homosexuality, she accepted it could be harder for other parents to take. “In the absence of a liberal environment, parents find it difficult as they fear social ostracisation.”

How did she handle societal prejudices? “If you have the conviction, then you fight for your rights.” When I asked for her name, she said, “I don’t want any names. I’m talking to you as a proud mother, as a human being.”

And as the rally resumed its course to Jantar Mantar, she dissolved into the crowd—a lonely warrior for equality among people of her generation. It may come as some form of redemption for her today to know that her daughter is not committing a crime by being herself.