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Spanish water polo player Víctor Gutiérrez made worldwide headlines in 2016 when he came out in an interview with the magazine Shangay prior to the Rio Olympics.
“I’m living my sexuality in such a positive way that I felt a responsibility to share it with others,” the then-25-year-old said. “There are almost no athletes who say they are gay. But, according to my experience, people have changed. As an athlete, everything I have lived is absolutely positive.”
Since then, Gutiérrez has used his platform to be a positive role model for other queer athletes and youth, as well as to speak out against homophobia in sports.
Last year, he took to social media to call out another player’s homophobia and the referees who failed to address the issue.
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During an April 2021 match between CN Terrassa, for which Gutiérrez plays, and CN Sabadell, another player called him an antigay slur, but the refs didn’t intervene. Per Spanish Swimming Federation rules, the offense should have been officially noted.
“Today sadly I have to tell you that I have suffered an episode of homophobia while competing. A rival has called me up to 2 times ‘FAIRY [other sources translate the word as “f*ggot”],’” Gutiérrez wrote on Twitter .
“It is unfortunate that these behaviors occur in sports venues and that they also go unpunished. The referees have not recorded it in the minutes because they have not heard it. But both colleagues and fans have heard it. I am 30 years old and I am a professional and I try to do activism from a positive view of my experience, but I think I do myself a disservice by keeping quiet.”
Los árbitros no lo han recogido en acta porque no lo han escuchado. Pero tanto compañeros como aficionados lo han escuchado.
Yo tengo 30 años y soy profesional e intento hacer un activismo desde una visión positiva de mi experiencia, pero creo que me hago un flaco favor callando
— Víctor Gutiérrez (@victorg91) April 17, 2021
The tweet garnered wide international support. But when the Spanish Swimming Federation still didn’t take any action, Gutiérrez escalated things by name Nemanja Ubovic as the player who made the homophobic remarks.
“ LGTBIphobia is not hidden or hidden,” he wrote . “It is marked. After hours and after not having received any kind of apology from the player, I have decided not to protect the person who insulted me yesterday. The player is @Ubavkb of @CN_Sabadell.”
La LGTBIfobia no se oculta ni esconde. Se señala. Tras el paso de las horas y después de no haber recibido ningún tipo de disculpa por parte del jugador, he decidido no proteger a la persona que ayer me insultó.
El jugador es @Ubavkb del @CN_Sabadell
— Víctor Gutiérrez (@victorg91) April 18, 2021
In response, CN Terrassa issued a statement of “total support” for Gutiérrez’s allegations. CN Sabadell also released a statement condemning homophobic language “against the values of respect, tolerance and equality.”
Earlier this year, Gutiérrez opened up about his coming out experience, which he described as “the most courageous and important decision of my life”, in an emotional interview with 20 Minutes . He also talked about the bullying he endured as a child and still to this day.
“When I was eight years old it was the first time they called me af*ggot,” he recalled. “I didn’t even know what it meant. I had to ask.”
He added that he still faces a lot of homophobia from other water polo players, including one teammate who told him, “I’d rather have a son with Down Syndrome than af*ggot.” But he refuses to let their ignorance prevent him from being an example of what’s possible or quash his hope for him for the future.
Despite everything that he’s suffered, Gutiérrez said he it’s still possible to “reach the sport’s elite as an LGBTQ person.” But, I have added, “this fight is not just for LGTBQ people. It is a matter for everyone. I invite everyone to become an agent of change and fight for a society that is free from homophobia.”
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Max
what a hottie!