Seriously, privileged Mumbai folks, can’t believe this needs to be reiterated every year: Please stop complaining about the visarjans in the city. Where do a couple of million people celebrate, when they don’t have the ability to reserve a table at an upscale restaurant and shell out ₹2,500 as entry fee? On the streets, obviously.

In 2018, we don’t introduce ourselves on the internet. Instead, we ration our emotions, perfect our personalities, and assemble our opinions so we can sell ourselves as a faultless commodity. We create a brand of ourselves and then spend all our energy in selling the best versions of ourselves to people on the internet.

How do you delegitimise a woman’s expectation of justice in a case of sexual assault and break her spirit? As Kerala MLA PC George showed us, label her a “prostitute”. Tell her that she “enjoyed it”. Tell her that she “invited it upon herself”.

In a time when we find it convenient to attach labels like “Urban Naxal” and “anti-national” and “foreign-funded NGO” to any organisation working for marginalised citizens, it is important to remember that the 377 verdict is a victory borne entirely out of activism. Not government.

Section 377 can only be traced back to the Buggery Act of 1533, an English law passed during the reign of Henry VIII. The medieval roots are quite fitting, as most supporters of the law seem to be time-travellers from that period.

The Supreme Court's historic judgement that repealed Section 377 was based on one universal message: The right to love. It’s an open discussion on love that benefits all of us, irrespective of our gender or sexual orientation.

It’s important to view the Section 377 judgment as the first step toward a safer world for India’s LGBTQIA+ community. That includes safe sex practices. As Justice Chandrachud has observed, public acceptance of gay people will also help address sexual health concerns.

Sec 377 may have granted us the freedom to love, but we have not yet got freedom from a judgmental society. Yesterday’s verdict has struck down an archaic law, but it will take a lot more to stop India from using scornful terms like “dheela” and “bailya” for homosexuals.

As a prepubescent gay boy I turned to the internet – this incredibly friendly safe space guaranteed that I didn’t need to rely on a physical support network. And queer Indians residing in small towns and villages need a similar access. The Section 377 verdict may not make a dent in their lives if they are cut off from liberal media and socio-political movements.

Section 377 is dead, eradicated by a five-justice Supreme Court panel in the most eloquent, empathetic, and sincere way possible. Justice Indu Malhotra said that “History owes an apology to the members of this community and their families.” What a great day to be alive and gay.