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For generations now, women have been working towards (read: fighting for) freedoms that have been the privilege of men in patriarchal societies. Some have faced flak, others have inched forward, but they have all persevered and, through their efforts, these freedoms become less elusive to so many Indian women. Femina celebrates these new freedom fighters and their ongoing trysts with destiny
Racing To The Finish
She is undoubtedly a superstar on the track, and one in life as well. From breaking running records to being India’s first openly-gay athlete, Dutee Chand represents the spirit of freedom we need to safeguard for an equal world
Dutee Chand is one of India’s most well-known sportspersons. The current national champion in the women’s 100 metres event is also India’s first openly-gay sportsperson. She might be only 25 years old, but her journey to reach the point she is at today has been nothing short of tumultuous and risky.
Chand was born in February 1996, in the small village of Chaka Gopalpur, in the Jajpur district of Odisha. Her family struggled with poverty and earned a below-minimum wage from weaving saris. When she was very young, her elder sister Saraswati encouraged her to pursue sports. Being a state-level runner herself, Saraswati knew that this would help her younger sister get a job through the government sports quota and would help with the family’s financial situation.
At 16, Chand earned her first national champion title in the under-18 category when she ran the 100 metres in 11.85 seconds.
At 16, Chand earned her first national champion title in the under-18 category when she ran the 100 metres in 11.85 seconds. In 2013, she won her first international medal when she placed third in the women’s 200 metres event at the Asian Athletic Championships. That year, she also became the overall national champion when she clocked in at 11.73 seconds in the final of the World Youth Championships.
In 2014, the athlete trained day and night in the hope of qualifying for the Commonwealth Games. And she should have, but she was dropped from the contingent at the last minute. The reason cited was the fact that her hyperandrogenism would make her ineligible to compete as a female athlete. The Olympic Committee believed that this condition gave women an advantage over others because of their higher androgen levels. Chand was effectively banned from taking part in any professional races.
The controversy pushed Chand to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in 2015. She was successful in this attempt, and the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) policy on hyperandrogenism was suspended for lack of evidence. She was cleared to race again, and went on to become the first Indian woman sprinter to win a gold at the Universiade, in the 2019 Summer Universiade, after clocking in 11.32 seconds in the 100metres race.
After the Supreme Court decriminalised homosexuality in 2018, Chand came out as a lesbian in 2019, and announced that she was in a same-sex relationship.
After the Supreme Court decriminalised homosexuality in 2018, Chand, wanting to no longer live in fear, came out as a lesbian in 2019, and announced that she was in a same-sex relationship. Although she received praise for her bravery globally, including from US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, she received a lot of flak from people in her own village who looked down upon her, cluding her eldest sister who threatened to expel her from the family. However, Chand did not let any of it get to her and is currently happy in her relationship.
Chand has become an inspiration to many women and the LGBTQIA+ community in the country; she proves that you have to be the one to claim your freedom and always live fearlessly.
Also Read: Wonder Woman: Dr Seema Rao, India’s First And Only Woman Commando Trainer
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Racing To The Finish
She is undoubtedly a superstar on the track, and one in life as well. From breaking running records to being India’s first openly-gay athlete, Dutee Chand represents the spirit of freedom we need to safeguard for an equal world
Dutee Chand is one of India’s most well-known sportspersons. The current national champion in the women’s 100 metres event is also India’s first openly-gay sportsperson. She might be only 25 years old, but her journey to reach the point she is at today has been nothing short of tumultuous and risky.
Chand was born in February 1996, in the small village of Chaka Gopalpur, in the Jajpur district of Odisha. Her family struggled with poverty and earned a below-minimum wage from weaving saris. When she was very young, her elder sister Saraswati encouraged her to pursue sports. Being a state-level runner herself, Saraswati knew that this would help her younger sister get a job through the government sports quota and would help with the family’s financial situation.
At 16, Chand earned her first national champion title in the under-18 category when she ran the 100 metres in 11.85 seconds.
At 16, Chand earned her first national champion title in the under-18 category when she ran the 100 metres in 11.85 seconds. In 2013, she won her first international medal when she placed third in the women’s 200 metres event at the Asian Athletic Championships. That year, she also became the overall national champion when she clocked in at 11.73 seconds in the final of the World Youth Championships.
In 2014, the athlete trained day and night in the hope of qualifying for the Commonwealth Games. And she should have, but she was dropped from the contingent at the last minute. The reason cited was the fact that her hyperandrogenism would make her ineligible to compete as a female athlete. The Olympic Committee believed that this condition gave women an advantage over others because of their higher androgen levels. Chand was effectively banned from taking part in any professional races.
The controversy pushed Chand to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in 2015. She was successful in this attempt, and the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) policy on hyperandrogenism was suspended for lack of evidence. She was cleared to race again, and went on to become the first Indian woman sprinter to win a gold at the Universiade, in the 2019 Summer Universiade, after clocking in 11.32 seconds in the 100metres race.
After the Supreme Court decriminalised homosexuality in 2018, Chand came out as a lesbian in 2019, and announced that she was in a same-sex relationship.
After the Supreme Court decriminalised homosexuality in 2018, Chand, wanting to no longer live in fear, came out as a lesbian in 2019, and announced that she was in a same-sex relationship. Although she received praise for her bravery globally, including from US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, she received a lot of flak from people in her own village who looked down upon her, cluding her eldest sister who threatened to expel her from the family. However, Chand did not let any of it get to her and is currently happy in her relationship.
Chand has become an inspiration to many women and the LGBTQIA+ community in the country; she proves that you have to be the one to claim your freedom and always live fearlessly.
Also Read: Wonder Woman: Dr Seema Rao, India’s First And Only Woman Commando Trainer
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