Victory is by no means assured-there is already resistance from religious groups and the top lawyer for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has advocated against legalizing same-sex marriage. 8, beginning what could be a years-long legal battle for marriage equality for the more than 2.5 million Indians who identify as LGBTQ.
In October, they petitioned a Delhi court for the constitutional right to marry-arguing that without official recognition, they are “strangers in law.” Their petition, along with two others, will be heard by the court starting Jan.
“We have created a great life together, but where is the legitimacy to that?” Khanna tells TIME.