She’s been through many tribulations. As a teenager, she overcame the shackles of poverty that fettered her and her family of below-poverty-line weavers. She then emerged unscathed from the gender-debate fire and the ensuing legal battle that she was pitchforked into a few years ago.
And now, Dutee Chand, the fastest Indian woman, is also the first Indian sportsperson to openly acknowledge that she is in a same-sex relationship. The Supreme Court’s ruling against Section 377 last year was a definite point of inflection for India, one that set the ball rolling for the hope of an egalitarian country, one where LGBT+ rights are also given due importance. But the limited amelioration that the ruling sparked has been confined to urban centres. The fear and stigma such revelations —or even the idea of doing so—evoke in the rural centres, even from families themselves, are deterrents that prove insurmountable. Shame has been—and still is—thrust upon the people who choose to come out.
This is why Dutee’s decision is courageous. Yes, the international sporting arena has seen many such instances. Nicola Hancock’s and Hayley Jenson’s trans-Tasman reunion was announced proudly on Twitter by their Big Bash League franchise; another pair of names in a list that has been growing over the past few years. Right from Billie Jean King to Martina Navratilova, there have been icons who have championed the LGBT+ cause, and there are many more who continue to do so. But the odds stacked against Dutee—as per reports, her own sister has threatened to put her in jail for having this relationship—make her act of courage stand out. There may be more battles in store for her, but here’s to Dutee for being the fastest Indian athlete off the blocks.