5 Queer Couples On What It Means To Be Married Or In A Committed Relationship

In a heart-warming feature, Brides Today turns the spotlight on five queer couples who share what it means to be married or in a committed relationship, and despite all odds, live life on their own terms.

- Shambhavi Dutta

SHILPA AND COLE NANDWANI,

Assistant Principal (Operations) and Assistant Principal (STEM) at an elementary school, respectively

"For us, love means revolution. The act of offering and receiving love especially queer love is a revolutionary act because we are constantly seeking to rewrite the narrative. We aren't afraid of being ourselves, and connect with each other on a deeper level. Cole and I choose each other and our relationship each day, and that means we get to create the rules on how we can run our home and disrupt patriarchal norms.

We are radical in how we perceive marriage, which is why our definition of the same is dynamic. There are things that Cole is better at than I am, but we are both capable of taking care of each other... Being pregnant for the last seven months, Cole has been such a strong support.

Our marriage breaks norms and stereotypes, especially because ours is the only queer relationship from my side of the family... It allows both of us to shine individually and together. However, it hasn't been easy and has taken us a lot to reach where we are.

Cole and I met in 2015 at a middle school in Brooklyn, New York City. I noticed them during the interview process and we soon found ourselves sitting near each other at work-stealing glances, and sharing music over chats. A lot changed during the pandemic: we were busy trying to navigate our lives as queer individuals in a state that is the most threatening to the queer community...but we found love and support. And that will always outweigh everything we have been through.