Hindustan Times posts India’s first gay personals advert.
Hindustan Times posts India’s first gay personals advert. <span class="media-attribution">Image by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/taedc/6446464173/in/photolist-aPDPd2-c4sAj3-9UKBpV-oX2U7F-oatWY4-9UNsyy-njKA4v-9UKvXe-eXWnJi-7P6mTL-dWscLq-nTUJph-9f6EBU-4geDM-9UNuxE-51aKPf-nXwoYF-nVxR3n-9xUrEt-9UKLtM-9UKw72-9UNDwy-9f6Bwh-ppaURs-9UKFr4-nXJzfZ-6Kxemu-nDnGdT-nVvDfD-9UNqfU-9UNpry-7nuAXx-9Xvpja-7mJdtr-831ppP-9UNpch-oZGg3d-4XCd4p-6Zfovg-wpNM-dq2aV3-6DkcJL-8hpeBH-aqsSd1-bqezPL-bATvJG-bVSHmx-dQ68Kt-nFJGNQ-nprFBs" target="_blank" rel="external">Ted Eytan</a> / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/uk/" target="_blank" rel="external">CC BY-SA 2.0</a></span>

A mother has posted the first ever gay personal ad in India, seeking a husband for her son, the gay-rights activist Harish Iyer. Newspaper personal ads are the most common way that couples meet in India, with most ads posted by parents seeking partners for their children in arranged marriages. However, homosexuals face widespread prejudice in one of the world’s most deeply traditional and religious societies. After a brief period of liberalisation, the Indian supreme court recriminalised homosexuality in 2013. Read more: theguardian.com

Explore related stories

Holi celebrations at Dauji temple, located in Baldeo, a small village just outside Mathura, Uttar Pradesh
2015; Color Image; Colors; Crowd; Crowded; Cultures; Ground - Culinary; High Angle View; Hinduism; Holi; Horizontal; India; Indian Culture; Lifestyles; Mathura; Mathura City; Multi Colored; People; Photography; Religious Celebration; Saturated Color; Temple - Building; Throwing; Togetherness; Tradition; Traditional Festival; Vibrant Color;

Art

How and where to celebrate Holi in India

Jan 27, 2025 • 7 min read