September 6 was an important day for the citizens of the country as the Supreme Court of India produced a historic judgment partially repealing the Section 377. It was a day of tears and joy for people from the LGBTQ community, as the country finally recognised them with equality. There were celebrations everywhere, from marches, status updates, tweets to photo sharing. It was indeed a proud moment for everyone in the community. Till the archaic law was in place, several silently suffered, kept quiet, not daring to come out in the open about their sexuality which the law tagged as 'unnatural offence.' One such gay guy has shared his heartfelt account of how it took m16 years of his life to feel that he too belonged as an equal citizen in the country. Same Sex Marriage Still a Distant Dream? 

For Danish Sheikh, the realisation of he being gay was also not easy. He was confounded as a 13-year-old when he felt he was attracted to a guy in his class. He was in his 9th grade and was willing to attend a class he knew nothing of, just to be in the same class as the guy. Three years later, he understood his attraction towards guys but dismissed it as a phase. Soon, he realised what it was. He accepted being gay. His parents took him to a psychiatrist when he had confessed to them. [VIDEO ALERT] Sriti Jha’s Poem Recital on Homosexuality and Love After the Section 377 Verdict Is a MUST WATCH! 

At 18 he read through the laws to know how they were against him and he was not going to get a recognition for being what he was. He deeply experienced the prejudice and hate when in the year 2013, the SC re-established Section 377 — making homosexuality a crime. Today, Danish is 29-year-old when he has finally got an equal right to love.

Take a look at Danish's journey towards freedom of being gay:

He has been an advocate of queer rights, made plays on his personal experiences and fought for the cause. His story would have echoes of several other voices could not say it out loud. So when the SC finally declared everyone's equal and dignified right to love, there was a jubilation in the air all over. It was about time, the LGBTQ community gets their right to prove 'love is love.'

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 07, 2018 07:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).