The co-founder of Indian LGBTQ+ dating app Delta has spoken to Vice about how the dating scene has changed since gay sex was decriminalised 12 months ago.
Section 377 had previously ruled same-sex intercourse as an “unnatural offence”, until the Supreme Court reclassified the law and ruled that the state has “no right to control the private lives of LGBT community members”.
While the change of law has allowed people to be more free with how they express their sexuality, there are apparently still some issues to do with social acceptance.
Ishaan Sethi, who also acts as Delta’s CEO, told Vice: “Ever since Section 377 has been read down, we’ve seen more queer people publicly out on dates and other experiential activities.
“With the threat of being arrested no longer relevant, people are more confident & are putting themselves out there – whether they’re mixers, dates, gay parties and so on.
“This aside, a lot is still the same too because legal changes are one thing and societal acceptance is another. You won’t see two guys kiss on the street, for example, because chances are that it’s not going to go down well.”
The fear of harassment is still prevalent due to the absence of any law that explicitly bans discrimination based on sexuality. Some men feel the need to partake in “straight-acting”, whereby they try not to appear too effeminate whilst in public.
OkCupid published the results of a survey in June which showed that the majority of Indians want same-sex marriage to be legalised.
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