“We are happy just to be together.
Seven months after the landmark court ruling, Adira Nassarin and Fatima Noora are enjoying their hard-fought freedom.
The lesbian couple, who are now proud to own two dogs, a Rottweiler ‘Tiger’ and a Belgian Malinois ‘Yoga’, smile broadly while talking about life today I’m here.
These young women created ripples of change in Kerala’s conservative society last year in a high-profile legal battle at the Kerala High Court. High school sweethearts Adira and Fatima were separated by their families when they decided to live together after college.
When Fatima was taken away by her parents, Adira took refuge in the arms of the law and filed a habeas corpus to retrieve her partner. And she said in May 2022, Kerala HC allowed them to reunite.
As well as providing legal sanctions and support for the couple, the court’s ruling provided inspiration for the LGBT community living in a shadow of fear, stigma and social stigma.
As the new year approaches Onma’s llama We caught up with the couple to find out more about their daily struggles and aspirations.
“The best thing about our lives now is that we don’t feel any pressure. As girls, we faced many limitations in our lives. We ultimately made our own decisions.” I’m happy I was able to put it down,” said the couple.
Unsolicited Advice and Cyberbullying
However, their lives are full of daily struggles, including cyberattacks. The duo has a wide follower base on social media with Instagram handles @noora_adhila and @adhila_noora with 38.1K and his 36.7K followers respectively.
“Before the sentencing, we faced opposition only from our families. But after the sentencing, we received both positive and negative responses from society,” Adhila said.
Their relationship, known only to their families, suddenly came into the public eye when the couple opened up about their struggles to the media. I’ve let you.
“Cyberbullying is constant. People attack us on a daily basis. They accuse us of harming our parents and curse us in the name of religion. The aim is to spread hate,” said Fatima.
“People send us harmful messages in the name of religion. Religion should be peaceful, but that is not always the case with religious people,” Adhila added.
Psychotherapist Sibili Suhana said this confirms social behavior detailed by American anthropologist Gail S. Rubin in an essay on “attractive circles.”
“Only standard couples who are in heterosexual relationships for procreation will be accepted into society. Noora tends to get a lot of backlash from society,” Sibiri said.
However, the psychotherapist expressed satisfaction with the fact that the couple’s case has started a conversation about the LGBTQ community.
“Their example has given gays in the Muslim community great power. They are an inspiration to those who are experiencing much discomfort in accepting who they are.
“Unfortunately, these legal sanctions still do not guarantee their safety. It is frightening how far humans can impose their beliefs on others,” she said.
Aware of the dangers lurking, the couple are happy to have an important conversation in society. I’ve been helping
“A few days ago, a cancer patient came to the hospital. She said she was inspired by our story. We’re emailing them,” Fasima said.
“Everyone should be able to live with a partner of their choice, regardless of gender. It’s nobody’s business,” Sibiri said.
The couple’s activism on social media garners better recognition for the LGBTQ community across society. Their quick and resourceful response to cyber trolls has garnered widespread resonance from the digital community.
“Social media can help educate a lot of people who don’t know the community. But for people who don’t want to accept the facts, there’s not much we can do,” Adira said.
“We don’t really care about people trying to create fake accounts and launch cyberattacks,” Fasima quipped.
“Build a Career and Help Others”
Undaunted by cyberattacks, the couple hopes to help like-minded people in the future.
“My immediate goal is to get a higher education and build a career.
The happy couple is a testament to how Kerala society is rolling the ball in the right direction for the LGBTQ+ community.
But there remains a long list of reforms to implement, they said. Legalization of marriage, gender-neutral forms of government and gender-neutral toilets were among the top concerns the couple raised regarding government reform.
“Recently, one of my non-binary friends had a bad experience while using a public restroom. They were told to leave the women’s restroom,” said Adhila.
They are upset that hospitals and other institutions still require the names of fathers and spouses when filling out important forms.
As we head into the New Year, Adhila and Noora dream of a day when homosexuality is legalized in India and fathers no longer define their identities.
