Dr R Raj Rao, gay fiction writer, said it is a welcome step but still there are lots of steps to be climbed. “If a law criminalises certain kind of love then it also affects the way the gay people view themselves,” said Rao, professor of English at University of Pune. He feels that it will still be a daunting task to change the societal mindset.

Bidhu Madhav Khire, president of Sampathik Trust that has reached out to more than 1,700 men having sex with men in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad areas and distributed condoms and advocated safe sex, says it is a victory for gay rights.

Budhwar Peth, which houses the offices of Sampathik Trust and other organisations that have intervention programmes among the MSM and other high-risk groups, saw happy faces and excited same-sex couples proclaiming their love. Said Kapil, a transgender who stays at Kothrud, “My partner and I are very happy with each other. He is a normal man and we have been staying together for eight years now.”

Not only was the gay community out on the streets of Budhwar Peth on Thursday, but a strong online community that networks via Facebook and Orkut have been exchanging notes. Apphiya K, who is also the creator of the group ‘Birds of a Feather’ said, “We are planning lots of events to tell the world that we are proud about our status.” The group has 72 online members and 65 active members. Apphiya who works in the music industry said while they welcome the judgment as a whole, a lot of work needs to be done.

Ramesh (name changed), a software consultant with IBM in Bangalore who hails from Pune and visits the city often, said all of them are looking forward to the Gay Pride March in Mumbai on August 16.

Nitin Karani, who belongs to the Humsafar Trust that deals with HIV prevention programmes among MSM, says there are celebrations everywhere. “There is a homophobia in the society and we always get the feeling of being persecuted. We know it will take several years for societal acceptance, but today’s judgment is just the correct step in that direction.”

Ramprasad Akkisetti, whose friends had been tirelessly working towards this judgment in Delhi, agrees: “The repeal of Section 377 is a great step forward in erasing the suppression of an invisible minority. Now the path is open for the larger social project of removal of social stereotypes that oppose gay people.”