"A True Love Story..."

Rishi Agarwal and Daniel Langdon

Rishi Agarwal’s father Vijay and mother Sushma generously funded his extravagant Indian wedding in Oakville, Canada. The celebration included all the rituals and decadent details of a conventional Hindu wedding, except for one, major detail: Rishi married a man, and homosexuality is not only frowned upon within traditional Indian culture, but actually remains illegal and punishable in India.

So, you can imagine when Rishi came out in 2004, it was a bit of a shock for his parents, both who emigrated from India in the ’70s and have always maintained a strict Hindu household. At first, when Rishi told them, they were speechless and sat in stunned silence. They spent the next 72 hours researching homosexuality and trying to educate themselves. So, when a nervous Rishi asked his parents if they expected him to move out, his father told him, “Absolutely not. You’re still our son and we love you." Most importantly, they never considered treating Rishi differently than their other children—they wanted to see him get married and grow old with someone he loved.

Enter, Daniel Langdon, who Rishi met online in 2007. Their first date was on a crisp fall day in September. They went to a farmers' market and ate baklava on a park bench while talking the evening away. "After about my third date with Daniel, my mom was already asking to meet him!" Rishi said. After they fell in love and Rishi proposed, the Agarwals were on a mission: “We had already decided there will be no difference between our elder son’s wedding and my younger son’s wedding,” Vijay said. “We did all the Hindu ceremonies—mehndi, sangeet, wedding, the whole shebang.”

Although the process wasn’t always smooth sailing— 7 Hindu priests turned down Vijay’s request to marry the couple before he found someone who would. When Rishi and Daniel’s wedding day finally arrived, it was was filled with more love, bright colors and beautiful traditions than Rishi could have ever imagined. Rishi’s parents hope their acceptance and unconditional love will help change the narrative of homosexuality within the Indian community. Rishi and Daniel similarly hope their story will prompt social change.


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