Dutee also rued the disproportionate checks female athletes are subject to.
Dutee Chand is running a course few Indian athletes have. The professional sprinter’s personal life may have hijacked her professional achievements, but that hasn’t derailed her from her aim for the time being.
Dutee Chand, inured to life in the fast lane, has found herself caught in the headlights. The Odisha-born athlete, who currently holds the national record in the women’s 100m sprint, admitted to being in a same-sex relationship last month.
The announcement, which makes her the first openly homosexual athlete in India, drew plaudits from equality advocates, but brickbats from her family — most notably, her sister Saraswati, who has accused her of being misled and blackmailed into a relationship at great cost to her career.
Coming out “Initially, my training was disturbed a lot. My sister has given me a lot of stress,” she said at a recent event in Mumbai. “I couldn’t train properly for 10-15 days after talking about my relationship. But now, I have put that behind me, and am getting back to training for the World University Games in Naples [next month].”
Dutee, who won two silver medals at the 2018 Asian Games, is not new to controversy. In 2014, she was effectively banned from competing as a female because of high testosterone levels in her body, a clinical condition called ‘hyperandrogenism’. Dutee, then 18, appealed the verdict at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and won a landmark case, setting a precedent for other athletes facing contentious bans.
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“I felt that people might speak ill of me after I spoke about my relationship. I was afraid that it would affect my performance, like what happened in 2014. Fortunately, there has been no such thing. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and Sports Authority of India (SAI) have been supportive. They said it was my private life,” she said.
Dutee, who had her sexuality questioned over the high testosterone levels, has been more fortunate than peers like South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya, who recently lost her case against the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) on similar grounds
Family matters Dutee hails from a family of weavers in Odisha’s Chaka Gopalpur village. She was initially not interested in athletics. But the lure of a government job was hard to shun. Her sister, Saraswati, a kabaddi player-turned-runner, helped her take baby steps on the track. However, Saraswati has turned against Dutee since the controversy broke out.
“Chota mota jhagda toh hota hai [Small fights are inevitable in families],” Dutee said, reiterating that it was impossible to live on other people’s terms. “In India, tradition is paramount. Husband-wife relationship is okay. They do not allow girls to go out.”
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Extending support The 23-year-old is a vocal advocate of the athletes’ rights over their bodies. Dutee, who had her sexuality questioned over the high testosterone levels, has been more fortunate than peers like South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya, who recently lost her case against the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) on similar grounds. “If higher testosterone levels are naturally occurring, then it is wrong for authorities to tell athletes to bring down their hormonal levels through corrective treatment as it would be unnatural for their bodies,” she said.
Dutee also rued the disproportionate checks female athletes are subject to. “There are no rules for men but for women there are so many tests: Why is your hormone count so high? How much is your body fat? But every human body cannot be the same, can it?” she said.
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Love Is Love: Dutee Chand Isn't Alone; Other Sports Stars Who Came Out Of The Closet
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By Anika Ghei
The road to acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community has not been one of ease, yet gradual but significant strides are being made towards becoming a more inclusive society. An increasing number of people are now sharing their 'coming out' stories, and are often met with heartwarming reactions.
This trend also prevails in India, wherein recently, Dutee Chand, a professional sprinter came out about her same-sex relationship. Being India’s first openly gay athlete, she regarded the ruling on section 377 as an impetus for her to take her relationship forward ;thereby, becoming an icon for India’s LGBT+ population.
The current national champion in the women's 100 metres event, Chand remains firm in her resolve to fight for the right to marry the love of her life, and hopes to exact change in a society that is still rife with stigma.
However, Dutee's story isn't isolated in its occurrence. The world of sports has seen several athletes who have become an inspiration by publicly reclaiming their sexual identities.
In Pic: (clockwise from left) Dutee Chand, Billie Jean King (Instagram), Justin Fashanu (twitter/albionroar).
By Anika Ghei
The road to acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community has not been one of ease, yet gradual but significant strides are being made towards becoming a more inclusive society. An increasin..
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Former World No.1 professional tennis player, Billie Jean King has won over 39 major titles, competed in both singles and doubles, and was one of the best doubles players in the history of tennis. Her legendary win against Bobby Riggs, popularly known as the ‘Battle of the sexes’ proved significant in developing recognition for women in the sport.
However, in 1981 she lost all her endorsement contracts when her secretary outed her for having had a homosexual extra-marital affair - an allegation that King conceded to. After her divorce with her then-husband, Larry King, Billie embraced her sexuality and advocated gay rights. She was also awarded the Medal of Freedom in 2009 by President Obama, and was named one of the ‘100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century’.
As of today, Billie is in an enduring relationship with her partner Illana Kloss, a former professional tennis player as well.
(Image: billiejeanking.com)
Former World No.1 professional tennis player, Billie Jean King has won over 39 major titles, competed in both singles and doubles, and was one of the best doubles players in the history of tennis. He..
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Hailed as a transgender icon and pioneer, Richards is a former tennis player who fought to compete as a woman in the 1976 US Open. She is known for her monumental work in the fight for transgender rights. Richards sued the United States Tennis Association for violating human rights through discrimination by gender - a case she went on to win. After transitioning, she played professionally from 1977 to 1981 and ranked as high as 20 overall. She was also inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame.
(Image: unitycoalition.org/ReneeRichards)
Hailed as a transgender icon and pioneer, Richards is a former tennis player who fought to compete as a woman in the 1976 US Open. She is known for her monumental work in the fight for transgender ri..
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Justin Fashanu was an English professional footballer in the 1980s who became the first of his professional stature to come out as openly gay. At the peak of his career at the time of his revelation, Fashanu met tragic repercussions thereafter. His career was ‘heavily damaged’, as no club offered him a place.
He faced extreme hatred from the world of football and his family alike - and was accused of sexual assault by a 17-year-old. Aware of the stigma surrounding his sexual orientation, Fashanu committed suicide a while after the case was filed and reasoned it in his suicide note by saying: "I realised that I had already been presumed guilty. I do not want to give any more embarrassment to my friends."
(Image: Twitter/NatFootball Museum)
Justin Fashanu was an English professional footballer in the 1980s who became the first of his professional stature to come out as openly gay. At the peak of his career at the time of his revelation,..
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A British figure skater, Curry was the 1976 Olympic and World Champion. The win made him one of the world’s best-known figure skaters, as he was lauded for his unique, artful and athletic style. Additionally, the news of his homosexuality also propelled his fame to new bounds. After his win at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Austria, reporters cornered the skater in a press conference and bombarded him with speculations about his sexuality. Faced with the pressure, Curry acknowledged the rumors to be true. The news raced all over the world, causing the skater to vanished for years altogether.
Curry was later diagnosed with AIDS in the 1990s, and passed away from a related heart attack, reportedly in the arms of his old lover, Alan Bates. The film, ‘The Ice King’ was released in 2018 and documented the peaks and shallows of Curry’s life.
(Image: olympic.org)
A British figure skater, Curry was the 1976 Olympic and World Champion. The win made him one of the world’s best-known figure skaters, as he was lauded for his unique, artful and athletic style. Addi..
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With a record-breaking 177 career titles and 59 Grand Slam titles, Martina Navratilova, born in 1956, is unquestionably one of America’s greatest athletes. In addition to being a sports icon, she is also one of the earliest conversation starters about homosexuality in the realm of tennis. At the age of 18, at the peak of her career, Navratilova came out as gay to the world. She was one of the first legitimate athletic superstars who did so out of their own volition.
However, unlike now, Navratilova wasn’t viewed as a pioneer back then - instead, she was made to pay a hefty price. She lost about $10 million in endorsement deals, as brands - in a society that had recently developed an AIDS scare - avoided her. Navratilova continues to be an active gay rights activist.
With a record-breaking 177 career titles and 59 Grand Slam titles, Martina Navratilova, born in 1956, is unquestionably one of America’s greatest athletes. In addition to being a sports icon, she is ..
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A former NBA Washington Wizard player, Collins was the first active openly homosexual athlete to have played in one of the four major American pro team sports.
He represented Stanford at the collegiate level and played 13 seasons in the NBA over the course of his career. However, Collins in a self-written article claims to have lived an inauthentic life until his interview in the 2013 issue of Sports Illustrated, where he came out as gay. In the interview, he discussed his ‘secret’ life as a closeted person, and acknowledged Matthew Shepard - a student killed as a result of anti-gay hate crime, by wearing a jersey numbered the year of Matthew’s murder. His decision to reveal his sexuality was lauded by many, including then-US President Barack Obama and wife Michelle.
Now retired, Collins has also been featured on the cover of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World”. He has also been sighted at multiple events with his partner, Brunson Green, producer of ‘The Help’.
(Image: twitter.com/jasoncollins98)
A former NBA Washington Wizard player, Collins was the first active openly homosexual athlete to have played in one of the four major American pro team sports.He represented Stanford at the collegiat..
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The English cricketer began his career in 2001 as a wicket-keeper. Davies came out as gay publicly in 2011 through an article in ‘The Telegraph’, and was the first cricketer ever to do so. According to him, reclaiming his sexual identity brought him a sense of freedom, and he no longer felt restricted in his interactions with friends and teammates. In fact, as detailed in the ‘Telegraph’ article itself, after coming out his friendships reportedly blossomed and he found the support that he was previously missing.
(Image: Instagram/stevedavies43)
The English cricketer began his career in 2001 as a wicket-keeper. Davies came out as gay publicly in 2011 through an article in ‘The Telegraph’, and was the first cricketer ever to do so. According ..
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Xu Jingsen, or ASam, is a professional surfer who is believed to be the first Chinese athlete to come out as gay. Jingsen did so through a Weibo post as he confirmed his presence at the Global Gay Games in Paris, France, last year. He also uploaded a picture of him surfing against a rainbow backdrop, with the post.
Xu Jingsen, or ASam, is a professional surfer who is believed to be the first Chinese athlete to come out as gay. Jingsen did so through a Weibo post as he confirmed his presence at the Global Gay Ga..
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Daria Rae Bernato - under the ring name Sonya Deville - is a professional wrestler and mixed martial artist signed to WWE. She made a debut in 2015, and during the preliminary taping of the first episode, came out as gay; becoming the first American professional wrestler to do so.
As of currently, she continues to propagate LGBT+ inclusion through social media.
(Instagram/sonyadevillewwe)
Daria Rae Bernato - under the ring name Sonya Deville - is a professional wrestler and mixed martial artist signed to WWE. She made a debut in 2015, and during the preliminary taping of the first epi..
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