No one was a stranger at the party organised at SamBar in Khar on Thursday, to celebrate the Supreme Court's verdict decriminalising consensual homosexual sex. Friendships were forged through the night, some on the dance floor, and some over long conversations.

While a majority seemed to be right at home, some took time to adjust. Like a 24-year-old, who hasn't come out to his parents, and was attending a gathering for the LGBTQ community for the first time. He was 15 years old when he realised he was attracted to men. "I was in a boys' school and while everyone lusted after girls, I had eyes only for boys. I soon realised that I was gay," he said.