Odisha Sprinter Dutee Chand Introduces Her Partner To The World With Valentine’s Day Posts

Bhubaneswar: Ace sprinter from Odisha Dutee Chand shared an adorable Valentine’s Day wish on Monday along with pictures with the love of her life, Monalisa.

They posed on a love sign made of rose petals. These pictures were reportedly shot for Valentine’s Day feature story in an Odia monthly magazine in which they have spoken in detail about their love story and their journey so far.

In the interview, Dutee mentioned that the only difference between queer love and heteroromantic relationships is the way people perceive them.

She further revealed that she had met Monalisa during the Khudurkuni puja in her village. They stayed in touch and after one year, confessed their love for each other.

This post, however, was deleted later.

She had also shared a post on February 11, which is celebrated as Promise Day.

Dutee had opened up about her same-sex relationship in May 2019. “My partner supported me every time and I have chosen her for my life. People may look at us differently or call us by any name like gay, lesbian etc. That does not matter so far as we get to spend our lives with each other,” she had told the media.

Her partner, a girl from her home town she has known for over two years, had proposed to her through a WhatsApp message. “I was in Hyderabad. She sent me a WhatsApp message saying there is a matter of the heart, which I wanted to tell you about. I asked her what it was, and she said she was in love with me. So she proposed to me on Valentine’s Day,” Dutee told The Sunday Express in 2019. 

And they exchanged rings in 2018. “Around the time of the Asian Games last year, my partner and I had exchanged rings. It was not an official ceremony or anything. We just went to a temple and did puja and we exchanged rings” she had said.

The Indian athlete received a lot of support from different quarters, including global gay rights icon Ellen DeGeneres, after she announced her relationship status.