NRI sets up India's first gay marriage bureau

VADODARA: Gay people now have an avenue to find their soulmate. An NRI has set up India's first marriage bureau for homosexuals to help them find the right match, both within and outside the country.

The general belief is that most homosexuals tend to identify their own partners and settle with them. But Benhur Samson, who used to help gays with surrogacy in India till 2013, was surprised when he received requests from them regarding prospective life partners. Samson started the arranged gay marriage service to cater to such persons. He has also roped in the gay prince of Rajpipla, Manvendrasingh Gohil, as a consultant, along with lawyers to look into the legal aspects of the marriages, including immigration if an Indian marries a person abroad.

"Several people wanting an arranged marriage were looking for partners from India. The reason seems to that arranged marriages are common in India. Also, Indians are known for their commitment, their loyalty to partners and hard-working nature," said Samson. He added that issues like drug abuse were also less common among Indians.

Samson said the marriage bureau has been operational for around three months now. "We have received around 250 inquiries and around 24 people are enrolled with us. We are in the process of identifying the right match for them," he said. Those who sign up have to undergo counselling under experts. "We take a couple of months to know the person and only then begin the process," Samson said. He added that to ensure that only serious candidates came forward the bureau charges $5,000, which is refundable if the person does not find a match.