As Same-Sex Couples Await Legal Recognition, Two Lesbian Brides From Kerala Make A Statement Through Their Wedding Photoshoot

"Achievement unlocked: together forever," reads one of the social media posts made by the couple Adhila Nasarin (22) and Fathima Noora (23) as they recorded an iconic photoshoot to celebrate their love. The couple had made the headlines earlier this year with their legal battle to live together after their parents separated them. After the tremendous struggle for their rights, the couple has now come together for happy times, and this reflects in their recent photoshoot. The photos from the wedding set are going viral and winning hearts for all the right reasons.

Petitions To Photoshoots

Adhila and Fathima have known each other since their schooling in Saudi Arabia and decided to spend the rest of their lives together. However, their parents did not welcome this decision, and they decided to separate them both. A report by NDTV stated that it was then that the couple took to the Kerala High Court for their rights and was granted permission to live together. Media houses and netizens widely celebrated the high court's decision, and it was seen as yet another victory for the LGBTQ+ community's longtime fight for recognition.

Recently, the celebrated couple won the netizens' hearts once again with their heartwarming wedding photoshoot series. Decked in traditional wedding attires and posed as brides, they made a powerful statement about their love. At a time when the legal bodies have also delayed recognising LGBTQ+ weddings, couples like Adhila and Fathima are proudly cherishing their love through simple yet powerful statements like a wedding photoshoot.

The post has garnered over 98,000 likes and thousands of comments. While the couple clarified that they are not married yet but would want to get hitched at some point, people kept pouring in congratulations and happiness for them. However, their comment sections are not devoid of conservative thinkers who continue to label their relationship as a "passing phase". The couple sent quite the response to such comments through their love story, hailed as one of strength and courage.

Hopeful Of Changing Times

The Supreme Court of India decriminalised gay sex in 2018 after a decades-long legal battle fought by activists and LGBTQ+ groups. Despite winning the case, the community continues to face stigma and incomplete acceptance, even in the eyes of the law. One such example is the idea of same-sex marriage, which continues to have no legal sanction in the country. There are about nine petitions pending before the Delhi and the Kerala High Court seeking recognition for same-sex marriage.

Many activists and people from the LGBTQ community continue their fight until they receive complete acceptance. Recently, this fight saw a ray of hope as the apex court sought a response from the Centre and the Attorney General for India on two pleas seeking recognition of same-sex marriage under the Special Marriage Act. According to a report by FirstPost, Kerala has moved ahead with the writs as the Deputy Solicitor General informed that the Ministry would be taking steps to transfer all the pending pleas to the top court.

Also Read: Kerala: Lesbian Couple Separated By Parents Get Reunited By High Court