Out of the closet: LGBTQI community lauds Dutee Chand for announcement

“It would have been easier for someone like a sport star to come out. It’s amazing for someone as young as Dutee to accept she’s gay. Her career is just picking up and this should not hamper her growth as an athlete – this shouldn’t become an emotional barrier for her,” says Sunil Menon, a gay rights activist from the city.

For the past 25 years, he has worked with a lot of people from the LGBTQi community and says those from both economically disadvantaged and influential families face difficulty in accepting their identity. “In Dutee’s case, since she has taken a stand, I feel that the sport authorities and fraternity should support her. She has made a name for the country and has won medals so I hope people give her the moral support that she deserves.”

Since 2015, many international sportspersons come out, but it has had its disadvantages. According to S Gandhi, a former physical education master at a city college, “Games such as basketball or football are considered verymanly. So if a fellow teammate says he’s gay, it could make the others uncomfortable since they share the samedressing rooms.”

Over and above this, if a playerloses moral support, it can be shattering, says clinical psychologist S Bala,who has been practicing for over 25 years. “In this case, it’s upsetting that Dutee’s family has not accepted her orientation. They probably knew that she was gay but were in denial because she was bringing the family a good name. But by coming out in public, she has brought them a bad name. This stigma about what is right and all this false sense of pride should change,” he says.

Matthew (name changed), a resident of Shenoy Nagar, recently faced a similar issue. “My mother fought tooth and nail with me when I came as gay last year. Unable to withstand the trauma, I left home two weeks ago and moved to Australia,” he says.

So while Section 377 may have been repealed, it has not made any changes in the mindset of the people. “Revoking Section 377 was just the tip of the ice berg. People will try and suppress the gay community even more and there’s no system in place to support us,” he says.