
Sprinter Dutee Chand's coming out interview has been hailed as pathbreaking in India. Chand has also gained admirers outside of India. American chat-show host Ellen DeGeneres has also tweeted in support of Chand stating she is 'proud' of the athlete.
DeGeneres, who herself came out as a homosexual over two decades ago on national TV and is an LGBTQ activist, said in her tweet that Chand is a champion. DeGeneres has been a supporter of the LGBTQ community and used her show 'The Ellen Show' as a platform to voice issues concerning the community in the past.
Quoting a news piece on Chand's coming out of the closet, DeGeneres tweeted, "She’s the 100m record holder and the first openly gay sportsperson in India. I guess she knows a thing or two about being first. I’m so proud of her. (sic)"
In an interview to a newspaper, Chand revealed that she was in a same-sex relationship with a woman in her village in Odhisa. Chand stated that she got the courage to come out of the closet after India's top court scrapped a colonial-era ban on gay sex last year.
"I have found someone who is my soulmate. I believe everyone should have the freedom to be with whoever they decide they want to be with," Chand said in the interview.