(Transcript from World News Radio)
Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Sydney's Oxford Street last Saturday night to take part in the city's annual Mardi Gras Parade.
They came from across Australia, from around the world.
On the big weekend, three Asian gay migrants talked with SBS about whether Australia -- and especially Sydney -- lives up to its label as a so-called gay mecca for Asian migrants.
Lydia Feng reports.
(Sounds of parade ...)
Bhavesh Rathod spent four hours doing his hair and make-up before donning a sparkly silver sari for the glamorous Mardi Gras Parade
Fifteen years ago, he never thought he would be able to show his true self in front of a crowd of thousands.
Born and raised in the small town of Gandhinagar in west India, Mr Rathod tussled with the thought of revealing his sexuality to his family and friends for over 30 years.
But in India, where homosexual behaviour is outlawed and widely considered immoral, it was a risk he was not prepared to take.
"It was hard. I could not tell. I didn't know anyone who was gay when I was growing up, so I had to hide it. That was the only option for me."
In the world's biggest democracy, India still does not recognise gay rights.
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, established under British rule over 150 years ago, bans homosexual acts.
Bhavesh Rathod remembers how painful it was.
"It's not a good place to be, mentally. And, yeah, you sometimes want to kill yourself or harm yourself."
So he left for Australia.
His first Mardi Gras experience was one he will never forget.
"As soon as the parade started, I see all these people just parading on Oxford Street and being so proud, I don't know what happened ... I was with my friends. I just started crying. I was bawling my eyes out in front of my friends, because I thought, 'Oh, my God, these guys are so happy.' And from the start of the parade to the end of the parade, I couldn't stop crying."
Fifteen years on, Mr Rathod says he enjoys the freedom he has in Sydney.
He has been with his partner Josh for 10 years, and, together, they participate in drag performances and Bollywood dancing.
He is a board member of the South Asian LGBTI support group Trikone Australasia.
And this year, he was the architect behind Trikone's Bollywood-themed float.
A 2013 Pew Research Center study ranked Australia first out of eight countries in the Asia Pacific at accepting homosexuality.
The report found wealthier and secular countries tended to be more accepting of gay men.
Ryan Lee, a Chinese man desperate not to be a "closet gay" like many of his gay friends, left Shanghai for Sydney in 2009.
He deliberately chose to fly in on the day of the Mardi Gras Parade.
"I spent all the time by myself, the whole night, wandering around on Oxford Street during Mardi Gras. It was great. It was fantastic. It was the first time I felt like I was finally free."
Although he did not participate in the festivities that day, he says just watching everyone else meant a lot to him.
"Although, in Beijing and Shanghai, I was 'out,' (openly gay) but more out to the other gay people. But in Sydney, that's just to everyone. So you feel like you don't have to hide anything."
When he eventually decided to tell his parents about his homosexuality three years later, his mother threatened to commit suicide.
His father accused him of bringing shame to the family.
"My mother herself, she's not religious. But she tried to ask me to become a Christian after she had a chat to my friend at that time, because she thinks God will change me."
Being disowned by his family left Mr Lee emotionally wrecked for months.
"During that time, I had totally no control of my emotions. I would just cry any time I would see a piece of news about gay rights or anything."
Mr Lee's mother has since reconciled with him, but his father has never spoken to him again.
Even when Mr Lee stayed with his parents in China last year, his father deliberately ignored him.
His younger brother, aware of Mr Lee's homosexuality, has never told his own wife.
Amidst the emotional struggle, the now 40-year-old Mr Lee has found comfort in expressing his sexual identity freely in Sydney.
With the help of a psychologist and community-support groups, he has gradually gained strength again.
"When I first moved to Sydney, I didn't realise that this is where I'm going to stay for the rest of my life. I didn't realise this is my home. But that feeling gradually grew in me, inside me. At the time, when I came back from my hometown, I just felt like, 'Yeah, this is my home. This is where I want to spend the rest of my life.'"
Another Chinese-born man, 24-year-old Zac Fang, shares a similar experience.
Coming from a younger generation, he used social media to come out as gay to his classmates.
"Some of my friends told me that I was the first gay person in their whole life and I was expanding their horizons and opening a whole new world to them."
But the response from his parents was not so warm.
After he texted them about his homosexuality, they simply dismissed him, saying he would grow out of the idea.
"But I told them it was not true because I was born this way. So they stopped texting me after the night that I told them I was gay. For two weeks, they didn't talk to me at all."
Zac Fang's parents are still coming to terms with his sexuality.
Moving to Sydney made him realise the importance of having a network of support.
"I came to Sydney during the last Mardi Gras with my friend, and we went to the parade. I was really touched when I saw a group of parents and relatives coming and marching in the parade. I still feel it's really important for our parents and relatives to stand up and to give us encouragement to be who we are."
A pink triangle around a rainbow pattern is tattooed on his left arm.
Despite his parents' views, it is a symbol Mr Fang wears with confidence.
"I feel like ... happy and proud of myself."
