Dutee Chand: India’s First Openly Gay Athlete
Image: alyssascottj / Instagram
Dutee Chand, an Indian sprint champion, regarded as India’s fastest woman isn’t just winning races anymore. In fact, she’s standing tall and facing the world as the question her love life. If you’re asking us why? This superwoman came out in open and became the first ever sportswoman of India to openly admit that she’s in a same-sex relationship.
She says that she finally found the courage to take this bold step and be open about it after the highest court in India, the Supreme Court, scrapped the ban on gay sex in 2018. Dutee, who is 23 years old, told Indian Express:”I have found someone who is my soul mate. I believe everyone should have the freedom to be with whoever they decide they want to be with. She said her focus was on upcoming international competitions, including the Olympics, but “in the future, I would like to settle down with her (1).”
She further went on to add that the love of her life hails from the same small village (Chaka Gopalpur) that she comes from. Dutee acknowledged that she is in a blissful relationship with her for five years now. However, she did not reveal the identity of her lover as she didn’t want any negative limelight to affect her partner.
This Isn’t Her First Battle
And this isn’t the first time Dutee is fighting a battle against the world. She’s already managed to overcome quite a few hurdles which have been noteworthy. In the year 2013, she made India proud after winning two gold medals in the Asian Junior Athletics Championship in Taipei. In 2014, just months after this notable achievement, Dutee faced the horror of having to prove her sexuality to the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Dutee was suffering from hyperandrogenism, a condition because of which her body was producing testosterone (a male hormone) in levels higher than normal. Because of which the sports governing body, Athletics Federation of India, decided to ban her from further competitions including the Commonwealth Games that was to take place in Glasgow.
Although heartbroken, Dutee did not give up. Her family and her legal team appealed to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) in 2015 for the injustice she faced and for terming her as “unfeminine.” She won this battle and she was allowed to run for India at the Asian Games in 2018. Her family, especially her elder sister was her strongest pillar of support.
Dutee’s Family Isn’t Supportive About Her Relationship
But in this battle of love, her family seems to be strongly against her. Akhoji Chand, her mother, a weaver, told that it just isn’t possible for her to come in terms with her daughter’s relationship status. Even her elder sister, Saraswati who fought for her rights a few years ago isn’t happy about Dutee’s decision. Dutee explains that she’s been constantly trying to make her family understand that it’s completely natural to fall in love with another woman but hasn’t been successful in doing so.
Twitterati Is Showering Love On Her
While her family isn’t supporting her, the rebellious attitude with which she has told the world about her relationship has the Twitterati family lauding her courage. Indian LGBT+rights activist Harish Iyer tweeted his support for her by addressing her as a “beacon of hope”.
Source: Twitter
Another eminent personality, Mahima Kukreja took to Twitter to praise Dutee saying that she’s made it easier for several girls out there to feel okay about their sexuality.
Source: Twitter
Payoshni Mitra, an Indian Researcher, too tweeted that she’s proud of Dutee for coming out and saying this despite being a part of orthodox society.
Source: Twitter
Dutee said that she’s happy that she finally spoke about her personal life and clarified it for everyone, and now with a lighter heart, she can carry on with her training for the coming up Olympics. She said that she would consider settling down with her partner upon returning from the Olympics. We couldn’t be more proud of this superwoman, right? She shines bright like a ray of hope for many same-sex couples out there.
India’s been a country that has been governed by traditions and cultures which that are not just stringent, but also vivid. But, the attitudes of many Indians, who are part of this orthodox society, are gradually changing. Same-sex relationships, however, continue to remain a taboo and are unaccepted by a large section of the society. But, with the Supreme Court revising laws in favor of those in love with the same gender and with eminent personalities like Dutee opening up about their personal life, we’re sure that India will soon inch towards a progressive society, shining bright like the beacon of hope.
