Field hockey player Peter Caruth comes out as gay, says it’s the best thing he’s ever done

Peter Caruth said in a recent Instagram post that he was relegated for the first time in his career this season, but it was still one of the “best seasons so far” for one simple reason: He came out as gay to loved ones in his life.

And on Instagram, Caruth proclaimed his gayness for the whole world to read, becoming the first international hockey player to come out as gay and just the second Irish male Olympian to do so, according to the Irish Examiner.

 

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“I’ve known that I’m gay since my early teens, and I feel now is the right time to tell everyone … and say it really is the best thing I’ve done in my life because now I can stop hiding who I really am,” Caruth wrote in his post. “I wrote down on paper and said in my head that I’m gay, but to actually say it out loud was the hardest thing I have ever done.”

Related: 5 gay pro athletes who broke ground by coming out while still playing

Caruth, who has represented Ireland on the field 142 times, explained that that moment came when he came out to his best friend. “All it took was the right question at the right time,” he told Instagram followers.

Since coming out, Caruth has had “extremely positive” responses, including those from other athletes who have told him that they’re gay too. “These moments are spine tingling and rewarding,” he added.

Related: Closeted Olympic athletes on Grindr can breathe a sigh of relief

He also said he has gotten “emotionally rewarding” acceptance from people young and old. “I encourage you, whatever age you are, to accept yourself for who you are,” he wrote. “We are all different, but we are all human.”