Delhi nightclubs say entry passes for New Year’s Eve parties will now be available to same-sex couples too. It’s a unique New Year gift. In an unprecedented move, nightclubs and hotels in Delhi have extended their ‘Couple Entry’ offers for this year’s New Year Eve parties to include homosexual couples as well.
 
Following the Delhi High Court ruling against Section 377 and the decriminalisation of homosexuality, nightclubs too have opened their doors to gay couples. Earlier two men would be considered stags, and either charged accordingly, or refused entry. But now all that will change. “There has been a positive change and it’s really good that new doors are opening, and we will get to explore new places this New Year’s eve,” says PR executive Mohnish Malhotra.

However, it’s not so simple. Afraid that single men may pose as gay couples to gain entry, nightclubs have some checks in place. Sohrab Sitaram of Tabula Rasa says, “We’ll allow gay couples. But will check the genuinity of the couple.” Sitaram says he knows many homosexuals personally and would want the couples coming to his nightclub to “come through a reference.” This, he explains, would be necessary as “many stags will come in pretending to be gay.”

Tarina Shah of Noida’s nighclub Elevate says, “Gay couples are most welcome. If the government has accepted, then we are all for it. However, pretenders will be a problem, but we will have to use our discretion.” Mohit Balachandran restaurant manager, ai says, “We won’t say no to a genuine gay couple.” For DJ Rummy Sharma of Pure by Kuki, however, checking for the “authenticity” of couples will not be a problem. He says that he has trained his gate manager to check the couples. “It is easy to assess if they are being honest. One of the partners in a genuine gay couple, is a ‘king’ while the other is the ‘queen’. And we engage them in a conversation to check if they are faking it.”

However, some nightclubs continue to be wary. Deepali Narula of F Bar says, “Our policy is that of permitting a couple entry — which is one male and female. Males coming in pairs will be taken as stags. We don’t encourage or appreciate stag entry.”

Despite the celebration, some people are miffed about the “check for authenticity”. “Do they ask a heterosexual couple to prove they are together? This is just another form of discrimination,” says a 24-year-old homosexual, not wishing to be named.