On the groundbreaking Bravo show, Family Karma, Amrit Kapai and Nicholas Kouchoukos show the world what it’s like to come out, get married, and begin the path to parenthood as an interracial gay couple. By sharing their story, Amrit and Nicholas are shifting culture—and paving the way for a world where everyone can experience the love and belonging of family.
Making Television History
Amrit and Nicholas’s love story began in Berlin, a gay bar and nightclub in Chicago. There, amid smoke and fog, Nicholas became smitten. In 2020, they got engaged. Then, two years later, they celebrated their wedding on Bravo’s Family Karma. It was a milestone for the entertainment industry: The first televised gay Indian wedding.
“But hopefully not the last,” Amrit adds with pride.
One cannot understate the importance of this moment and the visibility that Amrit and Nicholas bring to families like theirs every day. “I wish when I was growing up, I could have seen someone in the media that looked like me,” Amrit recalls. “[Someone] that was Indian, that was gay, that was confident about it.”
Premiering in 2020, Family Karma follows Amrit and Nicholas from Amrit’s emotional coming out to their wedding. Now, it’s chronicling their journey to become parents.
The Path to Parenthood
Amrit and Nicholas knew early on that they wanted to expand their family. “Having a child is part of our evolution,” says Nicholas, “as individuals and as a couple.”
Embarking on a surrogacy journey, they’re preparing themselves for the joys and challenges that come with LGBTQ+ parenthood. “One thing we knew from the get-go in our journey to become fathers is that the path wouldn’t be easy and the path wouldn’t be short,” says Amrit, but the result—finally holding a baby in their arms—is worth it.
Raising a Family in Florida
As LGBTQ+ Floridians expanding their family, Amrit and Nicholas face additional obstacles. “We [are working] so hard to bring a child into this world. But if we’re still in Florida, we’re only bringing a child into this world that’s going to be looked at as second class.”
In 2022, Florida became the first state to pass its now-infamous “Don’t Say Gay and Trans” law. Since then, the legislature has considered an unprecedented slate of hate, with legislation that attempts to restrict access to life-saving healthcare, ban trans youth from athletics, limit the teaching of LGBTQ+ and Black history in the classroom, repeal gun safety laws, and attack immigrant communities.
As a dedicated educator and a future LGBTQ+ parent, Nicholas feels the weight of this legislation acutely. “It breaks my heart as a public school teacher to think that in the current climate, I will not teach, nor would we even consider putting a child into the Florida public school system,” he laments.
The fight ahead
“There’s no denying that the Florida government wants to erase our community,” adds Amrit. And yet, Amrit and Nicholas are more determined than ever to stand firm.
“The easy route is to pick up and leave,” says Amrit. “The harder decision is to stay put and fight in solidarity. People often talk about this gay agenda. I don’t even know what that means. All we want is the same thing that other people want in society. We want happiness. We want to find love. We want to be loved. We want to be accepted. We want to be recognized and understood. You want to call that the gay agenda? Then call it the gay agenda…because that’s the only agenda we have.”
Night at the Pier 2023
Amrit and Nicholas are prime examples of the power we all have within us to create change, inspire others, and transform the world around us. To recognize the impact of their visibility, we honored them on May 15, 2023 at Night at the Pier in New York. There, accompanied by friend and LGBTQ+ ally, The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Margaret Josephs, they reminded the 750 guests in attendance how vital this work is.
“The Visibility Award is not just an acknowledgment of our personal journeys,” said Amrit in their remarks. “But a testament to the power of love and the incredible work that Family Equality does every day. It is a reminder that our voices, stories, and experiences matter.”
Dedicated to telling the stories of everyday LGBTQ families, the Ric Swezey Memorial Fund made this film possible. Make a donation to support our storytelling work here.