Last year, the Supreme Court revised the archaic law that criminalised homosexuality. Love won. And we all celebrated.

But, when it comes to acceptance, our society still has a long way to go.

TOI

Recently, Indian athlete, Dutee Chand openly acknowledged that she’s in a same-sex relationship. 

This powerhouse of a woman has proved her mettle and how- from being the 100m national record holder to bringing home medals after medals. 

Now, not just all of this, this trailblazer has also paved the way for rainbows in love by becoming the first openly gay sportsperson in India.

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However, Dutee’s own family is unsupportive of her sexuality and is openly condemning her. Her sister thinks that she’s being ‘misguided’ by people who want to ‘take control of her money’. Her mother said,

We are shocked to know that Dutee is going to marry a girl. We are totally against this lesbian relationship.
THG

It takes an immense amount of courage to open up about your sexuality in a world that has no dearth of detractors and trolls.

Dutee is never someone who backs down from a fight. She took on the International Olympic Committee by questioning the validity of ‘gender test’ rules.

Dutee at 19 years old, was dropped from the 2014 Commonwealth Games for failing the ‘hyperandrogenism’ test. There was widespread criticism. Athletic Federation of India and IAAF were called out for violating Dutee’s privacy and human rights. 

National.ae

Dutee appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Canadian law firms fought her case pro bono. The ‘gender-test’ laws were suspended in this fight against sexism in Sports led by Dutee.

Coming from a humble weaver’s family, Dutee is someone who has surpassed financial struggles and established her own career. 

One act of courage is all we need to start a chain, a chain that hopefully will lead to a world of acceptance. Dutee also acknowledged that with SC striking down Section 377, she gathered the courage to ackcnowledge her relationship openly.

Business Standard

Another sports personality, who has hailed the cause of gender equality, is the former World No. 1 professional tennis player, Billie Jean King. When news about King’s sexuality broke out, her lawyer and others asked her not to admit the truth. 

However, King refused to hide her identity-

I’m going to do it. I don’t care. This is important for me, to tell the truth.
CNBC

Lily Singh, the famous YouTuber, also recently openly identified herself as a bisexual.

It’s because of public/popular figures like these that we’ll be able to percolate down the narrative of freedom of sexuality. 

It’ll help us bridge the gap between laws and social acceptance of these laws.

While nothing can beat family’s support, Dutee we want you to know that the world stands with you.  

American comedian, Ellen DeGeneres, also came out in open support of Dutee.

And because of Dutee’s public pronouncement, the world is an easier place for so many other LGBTQ+ individuals who are scared back into closets for the fear of ridicule and bashing.

You found your soulmate, Dutee. We found our queen. All hail.