Dutee Chand on same-sex marriage verdict: 'Upset all plans'

Sprinter Dutee Chand expressed her disappointment with Supreme Court’s verdict on same-sex marriages. The court had ruled against legalising same-sex marriage in India and left it to the Parliament to decide on the contentious issue. The unanimous order by a five-judge bench came as a blow to the LGBTQ community in the country, five years after the court scrapped a colonial-era ban on gay sex.

Dutee Chand, who had become the first openly gay Indian athlete in May 2019, expressed her disappointment and said the ruling has ‘upset her plans.’

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“I plan to marry my partner Monalisa. But the decision of the apex court has upset all plans. I have been living with Monalisa for five years. We are happy together and as adults, we have every right to make our own decisions. We hope Parliament passes a law allowing same-sex marriages,” Dutee was quoted as saying by Times of India.

Chand has been in a relationship with Monalisa for some years now and the pair posed for the cover of Odia magazine Kadambini. The duo had reportedly first met during a Khudurkuni puja and later moved in together.

Dutee has spoken about facing criticism from her family after she announced she was in a same-sex relationship. On the track she’s been a strong advocate for LGBTQ athletes: she participated in the Queen’s Baton in 2021 and shed light on homophobia in Commonwealth countries. She then held a LBTQIA+ flag at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.