Countless gays have been shunned by their parents and persecuted by society. Loved ones who try to rebel are often ostracized. Many Indians are extremely socially conservative, going to great lengths to arrange marriages with the right families, of the right castes. And few suggested that other major victories, like same-sex marriage, were on the near horizon. Changing a law is one thing - changing deeply held mind-sets another. Still, however historic the ruling of the court, considered a liberal counterweight to the conservative politics sweeping India, gay people here know that their landscape remains treacherous. With restrictions on gay rights toppling in country after country, the ruling in India, the world’s second-most-populous nation, may encourage still more nations to act, she said. “This ruling is hugely significant,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, the South Asia director for Human Rights Watch.
