A star basketball player in Argentina has come out as gay. Sebastián Vega, 31, plays for Gimnasia de Comodoro. The team plays in the country’s top league.
The 6’7″ athlete came out by publishing a letter on his social media last week, becoming the first professional basketball player in the country to reveal themselves as gay.
La verdad nos hace libres! pic.twitter.com/oKv4vUuOeg
— Seba Vega (@_sebavega) March 10, 2020
Vega grew up in Gualeguaychu, about 125 miles north of Buenos Aires. In the letter, he talks about struggling to accept his sexuality. He recounts trying dating a girl and trying to live a “straight life”, but over time, he couldn’t escape his feelings for men.
“And then I met who would become my partner for the next six years.”
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On meeting that partner, he decided he had to tell his family. He said he was “terrified” of telling his father, and assumed he’d be asked to leave home. However, to his surprise, his parents were accepting and supportive.
“They showed me that nothing was going to change, that things would remain the same. That my sexual orientation would not change my personal situation, what I was (and am) as a person.”
He says he was coming out now to help others in the same situation.
This week, in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Vega described coming out as liberating.
“I was really scared, but the fear didn’t paralyze me. I felt truly free: it had been a long time since I’d walked without such a heavy weight on my shoulders.”
Related: WATCH: College basketball star has a bootylicious secret weapon
Although Argentina has progressive laws around LGBTQ rights, within society, conservative attitudes toward sexuality and gender norms persist.
“Unfortunately, (homosexuality in sport) is still a taboo topic,” said Vega. “It’s very difficult to say you’re gay…you have to be masculine to not be (seen as) less than.”
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Vega says his teammates have all been very supportive since he came out, with some apologizing for past homophobic comments they’d made.
“The most beautiful thing of all is that nothing has changed – on the contrary, it has changed for the better,” he said. “We formed a stronger bond.”
He also posted thanks on his social media, “for the infinite messages of affection and respect that I have received … I’m touched.”
Donston
Of course, no idea who this dude is. Though perhaps I’ve seen him whenever ESPN has shown Fifa/international basketball. And he is handsome.
It seems almost every time a male, non figure skating athlete “comes out” they talk about the emasculating perception of “gay”. That’s a self-conscious thing even follows many dudes who are “out”. They still feel residual masculine pressures. Masculinity/femininity and gender expression definitely play a role in a lot of people’s orientations. But those things don’t dominate the romantic, sexual, affection, emotional fulfillment, relationship contentment spectrum to the extent folks seem to think. While hetero pressures, “straight-passing” envy and toxic masculinity are so far reaching, even within the “queer community”.
PollyDarton
Never heard or him either.
djmcgamester
I get what you’re saying about masculinity, but that’s the issue when it comes to sports. Locker room talk, the perception that your teammates will see you as “less than a man”. I think the issue is more on the inside rather than the outside. His teammates apologized for past comments even though they probably could have said nothing about it.
As far as the label of “toxic masculinity”, you get a big eye role from me. Having eons worth of “social norms” (whatever they happened to be at the time – and they weren’t always what we see now) doesn’t make people bad for following them. It’s a very narrow number of people who fit into being “toxic”. I believe that we, as a society, take ourselves far too seriously.
Donston
I know exactly what he’s talking about. I was on my high school’s basketball team. I know what the locker room is like. And I simply know what being a man is like and the general expectations there are and pressures you feel. I used to somewhat malign the idea of “toxic” masculinity. I get it now and don’t feel as defensive towards the idea as I once was. Things are definitely more complicated than masculinity=bad. That’s an unfair assertion. But the extent of pressure some feel to live up to the idea, and the social and ego consequences for not living up to certain standards- there is toxicity to that. Never mind how much masculine praise and femme-phobia that goes on even in the “queer community”. And hell, if you ain’t a drag queen this site only cares about you if you’re “straight passing” and has a six pack. Their little mini obsessions with guys like Adamn Rippon quickly came and went.
Unlike some “queers” and feminists, I’m not trying to tear down masculinity. I’m saying that the assumptions, the play acting, the pressures to fit into whatever ideas and even the identity politics don’t help with mental health or finding genuine self-comfort. And they don’t help people understand or be real about the gender, sexual, romantic, affection, emotional, relationship spectrum.
sonic_source
He’s only 31? Two words of advice, sugar: SPF 10.
ShiningSex
A lot of jocks are closeted.
Good for him though.
ingyaom
I guess basketball isn’t very popular in Argentina – a handsome guy like this with only 235 likes on instagram?
charlie_jackpot
He’s hot – my type
I would like to start to see stories of ugly normal people coming out though – I fear all these people coming out are successful and/or good looking so of course they won’t be rejected and even if they are they can succeed regardless
Some of us are not high achieving, not attractive and if we are rejected then we have nothing to fall back on
Inspector 57
Amen, Mr. Jackpot.
We’re not all Billy Porter, Pete Buttigieg, Ricky Martin, or Anderson Cooper. or… [add some].
We “normal” folk deserve the same dignity that the “beautiful” get.
Donston
Well, sex does sell (aka get clicks). And people want successful, conventionally attractive “representation”. It is problematic in many ways. And it keeps us from really confronting all the array of issues out here. But it’s unlikely to shift.
Billysees
How true.
rodzilla
Felicidades hombre! Eres un héroe y un ángel porque en algún lugar, debido a tu valiente declaración, hay una generación más joven que ve más normalidad en sus sentimientos más profundos. Literalmente estoy llorando de alegría, estoy muy orgulloso de ti. Buen trabajo hermano!
or
Congratulations Man! You are both a hero and an angel because somewhere, because of your brave declaration, there is a younger generation who sees more normality in their deepest feelings. I am literally weeping with joy am so very proud of you. Great job brother!
gjg64
This is getting embarrassing…..an Argentine basketball player is out, but not one baseball player? C’mon! There be a Tibetan professional Yak racer out before anyone from MLB at this rate.
AntBee
I love the humour in your comment! It gave me a much needed smile!
Kangol2
Felicidades to him. I also hope as he moves into his life as an out gay man that he develops a fuller and richer understanding of LGBTQ communities and of “masculinity,” and how he as a professional athlete with a high profile platform can shape how it’s perceived in Argentina and elsewhere.
Kieran
Let’s just hope Bette Midler doesn’t start referring to him as “Miss Sebastian” on twitter.
[email protected]
Okay…congratulations on being brave enough to come out…..now we want to know….top or bottom lol