Heath Thorpe is determined to change the hyper-masculine environment around male gymnastics. At first glance, that goal may seem counterintuitive. Male gymnasts are commonly emasculated and derided as effeminate. That doesn’t sound very hyper-masculine.
But Thorpe says those negative stereotypes push male gymnastics towards enforcing heteronormative standards. The out gay artistic gymnast would know. He can leap to perfection, and often incorporates leaps into his routines. But unlike in women’s gymnastics, leaps and other dance moves aren’t in the Code of Points on the men’s side.
“Artistry in the eyes of men’s gymnastics equals femininity and for some reason we see that as a bad thing,” he told Inside Gymnastics last year.
22-year-old Thorpe publicly came out when he was 18 years old. He’s experienced a lot of success on the mat since then, winning gold in international competition last year.
This weekend, he’ll be competing with Team Australia at the 2023 Oceanic Championships against New Zealand. The winning team qualifies for the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, which will be held later this year in Belgium.
In interviews, Thorpe often speaks about the surprising lack of out gay male gymnasts, and how the dearth impacted him growing up. He’s now determined to give back, and be the role model for other LGBTQ+ kids that he wishes he had.
“For me to realize my identity was a bit of struggle, because I had almost not wanted to perpetuate a stereotype that I had been told my whole life,” he said in a recent interview. “So that was an internal struggle in itself.”
This year, Thorpe is representing the Australian Gymnastics community in the Thrive with Pride, an event to support LGBTQ+ inclusion in athletics.
“When I was younger, there were no queer gymnasts competing on the international level,” he said in an interview about his advocacy efforts. “So when I was coming to terms with my identity, I now realize how significant it could’ve been if there were one or even two people at the top level being themselves.”
Thorpe is certainly being his true self. He runs a vibrant TikTok page (44K followers and counting) and is a model for Calvin Klein!
First of all, that crop top (and Thorpe) and gorg! Secondly, it’s awesome to see Thorpe model more gender-neutral clothing.
He is not conforming to norms, honey! We are thankful for that.
His TikTok page is filled with adorable cat dad videos and workout routines. We’ll take both, thank you!
After missing out on the Tokyo 2020 Games, Thorpe is gunning for Paris 2024. In the interest of visibility, he’s also chronicling his journey on social media.
We can’t wait to join the ride…especially if we get a seat next to him.
Scroll down for more pics of Thorpe’s incredible bod and heart-stoping smile…
scotty
my first gymnast crush was kurt thomas and his thomas flair. i did imagine being the pommel horse as he did his routine uuunnnffff!!!
nm4047
did he not die a couple of years back?
storm45701
Yes, he had a stroke. Very sad.
stanpaske
He is why gay men follow men’s gymnastics. Stunning! Amazing!
storm45701
Best sex I ever had in college was with members of the gymnastics team. Just amazing.
Hungritos
nice