Gay couple respond to Kodavas outraging over their wedding attire

After receiving comments by a section of the Kodava community criticising their decision to wear the traditional Kodava attire, gay couple break their silence.

California: A gay couple's wedding in California, in which they were seen wearing a traditional Kodava attire, drew homophobic comments from a section of the Kodava community.

Sharath Ponnappa Puttichanda and his partner Sundeep chose to wear the Kupya-chele, the traditional Kodava attire, during the wedding ceremony on September 26.

The photos of the wedding, which also had the couple in traditional Punjabi attire, was circulated among Kodavas in the district, prompting the Kodava Samaja, the organisation tasked with cultural conservation and social wellbeing of the small community, to condemn the wedding.

However, the couple has now broken silence and addressed the issue.

In a statement to the media Sharath Ponappa said “We knew there would be dissenters, but we have literally been fighting for acceptance since the day we were born, fighting to survive and be treated the same as our peers. However, we proudly choose to live our truth, celebrate our same-sex marriage and encourage the dissenters to open their minds and engage in positive dialogue to understand that all humans are created equally and deserve respect and love”.

The couple had invited the media to the wedding to spread awareness among Indian members in the global LGBTQI+ community.

Meanwhile, Sharath and Sundeep had also received heart-warming support from others in the Kodava community including popular fashion designer Prasad Bidappa and actor Gulshan Devaiah who said that the couple's decision to wear Kodava attire is a mark of their respect for Kodava traditions.