I won't bow down to family pressure: Dutee Chand

Sunday was the final section of elections in the country. Naturally, it was the topic on everyone’s lips. But one 23-year-old from Odisha controlled to get the rustic to omit the elections, even if for a little while. Sprinter Dutee Chand was the primary Indian sportsperson to confess that she was in a same-sex courting when she got here out in an interview to a leading daily.

ALSO READ: Dutee faces circle of relatives's ire

Speaking to IdealNews from Hyderabad, the place she is training for the upcoming World Athletic Championship, the Olympian explained why she felt forced to make her courting public and why threats of expulsion from her circle of relatives don’t subject.

'THE SUPREME COURT VERDICT ON SECTION 377 EMPOWERED US TO COME OUT IN PUBLIC'

Dutee is known for turning into the primary Indian since PT Usha to compete in the 100m sprint in the Olympics. She has additionally gained medals in 100m and 200m in the Asian Games and Asian Championships.

The 23-year-old stated that she was emboldened via the Supreme Court verdict on Section 377 final yr.

“The Supreme Court verdict has been like a breath of unpolluted air for us. It has strengthened what we always say: Nobody should judge us just for who we need to be with and who we adore. It’s an excessively personal selection. I am not hurting anyone. After the decision, we felt empowered to return out in public. We felt it was time the arena knew.”

However, Dutee stated she does no longer need to make her spouse's name public.

"She doesn’t want to be out in public. I respect her wishes. I am used to this limelight but she isn't and I don't want her to be bothered by this attention," she clarifies.

All she told is that her spouse is a 19-year-old learning in Bhubaneshwar and that they've identified each and every other for five years.

"We met because she wanted to be a sportsperson too and she came up to me for advice. Over the years, we grew close. She is the most important person to me," stated Dutee.

'I AM AN ADULT, WON'T BOW DOWN TO FAMILY PRESSURE'

There are reviews doing rounds of her circle of relatives threatening Dutee with expulsion after the news surfaced but the athlete stated she is unfazed via it all.

"My older sister has threatened to throw me out of the house. She did the same with my brother because she didn’t like his wife. But I did not want to bow down to her. I am an adult. She can do what she want but I wanted to make this public for two reasons. It is nothing wrong and I am not ashamed of it. I proudly say I am in a same-sex relationship," she stated.

On her phase, Saraswati Chand, Dutee's elder sister, stated that the sprinter's spouse "pressurised and blackmailed" her for wealth and assets.

SETTING AN EXAMPLE

In a country like India, the place numerous other people nonetheless shy clear of making their sexual orientation public as a result of societal prejudices, Dutee felt duty-bound to damage that cycle.

She stated, "I think I am a sportsperson. A lot of people look up to me, so I have the responsibility to set the right example for them. I think people will see my medals and my performance for my country and not what I do off the field. They like me because I win for the country and I will continue to do so."

‘MY FOCUS WILL ALWAYS BE MY ATHLETIC CAREER’

The World Athletics Championship starts in simply 4 months' time and Dutee is busy preparing. Is she concerned that the media attention on her courting will derail her training?

"This attention has come at a time when I am preparing for the World Championships, so the coaches are a bit annoyed but my focus is not wavering," she stated. "My focus will always be my athletic career and winning more medals for the country. Yes, in future, I would want to settle down with her, but that's some time away," she signed off.