After winning govt awards, my sister felt I'd splurge on my partner: Dutee Chand

Though Indian sprinter Dutee Chand received a lot of praise after she recently spoke about her sexual preferences, her revelation didn't go down well with her family members. Family friction came out in the open but the backlash didn't weaken her resolve. The love for her partner, Dutee has insisted, will only grow in the days to come.

During a trip to Bhubaneswar, Dutee spoke about her relationship and the impact of the controversy on her personal life and sporting career.

Excerpts:
Why did you feel the need to hold a press conference in Bhubaneswar?
After my revelation about my sexual preferences, there were some negative reports in the media in my state. Some media houses got interviews of my sister and mother. My sister has now opposed to my relationship. However, she didn't do that right from the beginning. To clear the air over my family's stand on my relationship, I had to address the media in Bhubaneswar. I have been in a relationship with my partner for around four years. Everybody in our families is aware of it. After I received huge cash awards from the government, my sister feared that I would splurge it all on my partner. She was insecure since I have excelled in sports. My mother has been forced by others to speak against me. My other siblings and father have not come into the picture yet. They support me.

Don't you think this controversy will affect your preparations for upcoming sporting events and the Tokyo Olympics?
For the past few days, I have been informed by my friends and fans in Odisha about the negative publicity. This has affected my training. Now, I will concentrate on my training in Hyderabad. I have full faith in myself and am sure I will overcome this. I will bring more laurels to my state and country.

You have trainers to help you in coping with such situations. What about your partner?
I am worried about her safety now. My sister had threatened her as well as her family. That has been worrying me. But I will ensure her safety and will take every possible step to make sure that she is not affected. I will take care of her irrespective of where I am. I can't disclose about how I will ensure her safety but I will definitely do it. Our love will grow.

How is your partner's family reacting to your revelation?
We have been in the relationship for the past four years. I have kept both our families informed about our relationship. Her family has no issues. I had never brought up her name in public. But some people got to know about it. Besides, certain sections of the media wrote about her.

Tell us about your relationship.
Well, she is a close relative and has interest in sports. Our common interest brought us together. When I was injured, she took care of me. This made me fall in love with her. Love can happen to anyone at any time. Love never discriminates between two individuals. It is human beings who try to draw the line and define it in certain ways. We don't have any physical attraction. Rather, I'd say we share a mental bond. I would be busy in sports in the coming days. She has been an excellent support for me. Hence, we decided to be with each other.

So, what forced you to openly speak about the relationship now?
When my sister started to blackmail me over our relationship and tried to extract money, I decided to talk about it openly. Normally, a person would not like to disclose about his or her relationship. But, I decided to let the world know about it so that my sister can't exploit me. Besides, the Supreme Court ruling in favour of same-sex relationships also gave me the courage to come out and speak out it.

Don't you think this controversy will affect her studies and normal life?
I don't think so. We have not committed any crime. Why would she be affected? After a few days, the controversy will fade away and everybody will forget about it. I am already getting a lot of support from people. Celebrities from India and across the globe are praising me and extending their support on the social media. I'm also getting messages from people. Members of the LGBTQIA+ community are with me.

Have you got any negative messages?
Some people have a negative reaction. Some are relating it to the Indian and Odia culture. But they should know that it's my personal life and choice. The Indian Constitution gives me that right to exercise my choice.

What's your future plan regarding your love life?
Well, we have not thought about the future yet. Once my sporting career is over, we will marry and stay together. We will plan about our future slowly.

You are just 23 and have another 10-15 years of sporting career. After this controversy, will her family wait for long to get married?
Areyy na na... We have taken permission from her family. As I said, our relationship was known to our families. Due to some compulsions, I had to talk about it in public. Since both of us are adults and there is mutual liking, I'm sure she and her family will wait.

Have you watched any movie based on LGBTQIA+ relationships?
Since I remain busy with training, I do not get time to watch movies. But I'll definitely watch films with her.

A peek into Dutee's life

• Born in Jajpur, Dutee went to two schools. She studied till Class V at the Prathamakhand Project Upper Primary School
• At the Hinguli Gopal Panda Nodal Middle English School, she studied in Class VI and Class VII
• Then she came to Bhubaneswar where she stayed at a sports hostel and did her matriculation from there
• She did her Plus II from Indira Gandhi Women's College, Jajpur, and later joined KIIT University to study law