“A friend of mine was unsettled when I came out to her. But she was my biggest support when my last relationship ended,” says 22-year-old PR executive Shaheen. And as straitjackets snap and a society morphs, in the cocoons of friendship, you see the possibility of fun—and the freedom to be gay. “Most of my straight men friends know about me and are ok with my sexuality. In fact, sometimes, we check out women together,” she says with a laugh, bright eyes spilling with mirth.

Gupta sees promise for the gay community in the growing BPO-driven affluence of youngsters in urban India. “Homosexuality worldwide has been an urban phenomenon. In India, the economic change has had a knock-on effect. More and more young people live alone. A lot of them earn quite well. They make up a consumer class that is used to getting what it wants—and they will set the bar. In the middle of this change, there is the possibility of a gay lifestyle.”

Sure enough, in Mumbai, Shasi and Avanti (names changed), both call centre workers, have just moved in together. “When I started earning, my parents asked me fewer questions,” says the 24-year-old. Avanti, who just turned 25, says, “When we decided we were serious about each other and wanted to live together, I realised it was time to move out of home,” says Avanti. In Faridabad, 28-year-old Agni (name changed) awaits anxiously for word from his parents. A month has passed since he came out to his parents through an open letter in a magazine. “Since then, they have stopped talking. I guess they need time,” he says wistfully. Two-and-a-half-years ago, he left his home in Chandigarh when the pressure to marry got overpowering. The anonymity of a big city life—he often travels to Delhi for his work—financial independence and the distance from home has given him the space to be himself.  

... contd.