Young, non-English speaking, low-income female couples got married through religious ceremonies all over India long before the discussion over marriage equality even started. They also committed joint suicide, which they viewed as being "wedded in death." These women had never heard the terms "lesbian" or "gay," and they had no connection to any movement. While several families forcefully split up the couples in cooperation with the authorities, many other families helped their daughters. The first and only book-length examination of these unions, beginning with one reported in 1980, is Love's Rite, which was originally published in 2005. According to the book, the couples defended their right to be together using an ancient form of love that Indians could understand. Vanita investigates the literary, legal, and religious traditions of India that offer spacesfor same-sex and other socially disapproved unions. While many recent high-profile Indian weddings have been reported as the 'first' of their kind, Love's Rite celebrates the unsung pioneers and martyrs of the struggle for marriage equality.