By Reena Kumar
A LESBIAN couple who dreamed of tying the knot in a Hindu temple are planning a civil wedding after they were unable to find a priest willing to perform the marriage ceremony. Londoners Sujatha Jayagopal and her partner Meena Subrian, 49, were celebrating the change in law over the weekend which allows same sex couples to get married. But they were disappointed that they would miss out on exchanging vows in a religious setting after receiving a series of setbacks from places of worship. “It’s very frustrating. We couldn’t find a Hindu priest who would marry us,” Jayagopal told Eastern Eye. The 36-yearold who was born in India, and works in sales for an IT company is marrying her lover of five years – a teacher of Indian descent from South Africa, in the Tudor mansion of Leez Priory, Essex, in August. They will be dressed in traditional Indian attire for the ceremony before changing into western clothes for the reception. “It’s one of the best feelings ever for me and my partner. It’s more of making a statement and having equal rights, she said. “It’s a great feeling that we are able to do something like this. We are so happy we have been accepted in this country and it’s not a big deal, that’s quite key to us.” The Marriage (Same Sex) Couples Act was introduced last Saturday (30) in England and Wales, following which several couples got hitched. Prime minister David Cameron tweeted: “Congratulations to all same-sex couples getting married today – I wish you every possible happiness for the future.” Subodh Rathod and Niranjan Kamatkar married last Saturday morning in Haringey’s register office, almost 20 years after exchanging vows between themselves in an Indian seaside village halfway between their ancestral homes. They streamed coverage of the wedding ceremony live online, and the video attracted thousands of views. Dressed in traditional sherwanis, the loved-up pair exchanged vows in front of around 100 family, friends, colleagues and dignitaries. The concept of civil partnerships were introduced in December 2005 allowing gay and lesbian couples to gain legal recognition of their relationship. However, most civil partners will be unlikely convert their relationship to a marriage until later this year. Tamsila Tauqir, one of the founders of the Inclusive Mosque Initiative (IMI) which aims to build mosques which welcome gay people, told EE: “I’m not sure the majority of mosques at the moment have a very positive reputation of responding to issues of same-sex sexuality. “I would expect people to start contacting us now for advice because the law has changed. “But we don’t have our own premises to conduct ceremonies at the moment.”
