Am I Gay Quiz, test gives you the exact answer, That are you gay or not. In Pic: (clockwise from left) Dutee Chand, Billie Jean King (Instagram), Justin Fashanu (twitter/albionroar). The world of sports has seen several athletes who have become an inspiration by publicly reclaiming their sexual identities. However, Dutee's story isn't isolated in its occurrence. 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. 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.
This trend also prevails in India, wherein recently, Dutee Chand, a professional sprinter came out about her same-sex relationship. An increasing number of people are now sharing their 'coming out' stories, and are often met with heartwarming reactions. 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.
“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. “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.ĭutee also rued the disproportionate checks female athletes are subject to. 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. The 23-year-old is a vocal advocate of the athletes’ rights over their bodies. “Chota mota jhagda toh hota hai ,” Dutee said, reiterating that it was impossible to live on other people’s terms. However, Saraswati has turned against Dutee since the controversy broke out. Her sister, Saraswati, a kabaddi player-turned-runner, helped her take baby steps on the track. But the lure of a government job was hard to shun. She was initially not interested in athletics. They said it was my private life,” she said.ĭutee hails from a family of weavers in Odisha’s Chaka Gopalpur village. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and Sports Authority of India (SAI) have been supportive. Fortunately, there has been no such thing.
I was afraid that it would affect my performance, like what happened in 2014. “I felt that people might speak ill of me after I spoke about my relationship. 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. In 2014, she was effectively banned from competing as a female because of high testosterone levels in her body, a clinical condition called ‘ hyperandrogenism’. ”ĭutee, who won two silver medals at the 2018 Asian Games, is not new to controversy. But now, I have put that behind me, and am getting back to training for the World University Games in Naples. “I couldn’t train properly for 10-15 days after talking about my relationship. My sister has given me a lot of stress,” she said at a recent event in Mumbai. “Initially, my training was disturbed a lot.