'Shocked' Family May Expel Dutee Chand After Knowing That She's In A Same-Sex Relationship

Ace Indian athlete Dutee Chand, who revealed that she was in a same-sex relationship has now claimed that her family has not accepted the affair and that she is facing expulsion from the family.

¡°My eldest sister kind of wields power and authority in my family. She has thrown out my elder brother from home because she does not like his wife. She has threatened that the same will happen to me also," Dutee told PTI.

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She also added that her sister has threatened to send her to jail over the relationship.

¡°My eldest sister feels that my partner is interested in my property. She has told me that she will send me to jail for having this relationship,¡± she said.

The 100m national record holder, however, said that she is not going to be intimidated and is an adult who has individual freedom.

AFP

It was on Saturday that Dutee revealed about her relationship with another girl, becoming the first Indian athlete to acknowledge a same-sex relationship.

The 23-year-old, however, did not name her partner but identified her as a 19-year-old BA student in Bhubaneswar. According to Dutee, her partner is also from the same village and they are relatives.

¡°I am having a relationship with a 19-year-old woman from my village for the past five years. She is studying BA 2nd year in a Bhubaneswar college. She is a relative of mine and whenever I come home, I spend time with her. She is kind of a soulmate for me, and I want to settle down with her in the future,¡± she said.

Unlike her family, Dutee said the kin of her partner has not objected to their relationship. She also said that it was a joint decision to go public about their affair to avoid a repeat of what happened with fellow sprinter Pinki Pramanik. Pinki, a member of the 2006 Asian Games 4x400m relay gold winning team, was accused of rape by her live-in partner.

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While Dutee may not have found support from her family, many on social media congratulated her for going public about her same-sex relationship.

Last year the Supreme Court had struck down Section 377 of the IPC, a colonial ear rule which criminalized acts of homosexuality. While it has been decriminalized same-sex couples still cannot legally marry in India.