For Estonian-American college swimmer Ayrton Kasemets, things are finally coming full circle.
Kasemets came out publicly in a 2015 op-ed he wrote for OutSports. In high school, he didn’t keep his sexuality a secret, per se, but he also wasn’t forthright about it either.
“I didn’t feel as if anyone at school really needed to know,” he wrote at the time. “If anyone would have asked, I would have answered truthfully, but no one ever asked.”
After enrolling at Oakland University in the fall of 2015, however, Kasemets decided it was time to start telling people he was gay upfront to avoid fueling the rumor mill.
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“I knew that I needed to address the issue with the team as a whole so it would take away all the talk and the gossip,” Kasemets wrote.
Instantly I was surrounded by support. Despite some very odd questions at times from my teammates, I love them all for it because I know they care about me and show their comfort level. I am so thankful for my team because they give me support in times that I need it and allow me to be my complete self.
Related: Here are some handsome, openly gay divers who just made history
Two years later, Kasemets is now preparing to compete at the World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan this summer. As a dual citizen of both Estonia and the United States, he will compete on behalf of Estonia.
In case you didn’t know, Estonia is located on the Baltic Sea and is a former Soviet republic. Its record on LGBTQ rights isn’t great, but it’s slowly making progress. For instance, the country doesn’t allow same-sex marriage, but beginning 2016 it began recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other countries. #babysteps.
Kasemets tells OutSports he’s excited to represent Estonia as an openly gay athlete this summer. He feels a particular closeness to the LGBTQ community, who he says have always supported him, especially after he suffered a serious shoulder injury that required surgery last year.
“There were so many times during my recovery where I experienced negative self-talk and feelings of worthlessness,” he says. But, he adds, “my shoulder surgery was a minuscule issue compared to some of the pain that my LGBT brothers and sisters have experienced while in the closet or out.”
“From these experiences, we have learned how to take difficult times in our life and defeat them with positive energy and dignity.”
Scroll down to see pics from Ayrton’s Instagram page…
chaomian
Dear Queerty, Taipei is in Taiwan NOT China. Please refrain from making this mistake in the future and make a correction to the article
MacAdvisor
As far as both Taipei and Taiwan are concerned, Taiwan is China and Taipei is in it. Queerty may follow a two-China policy.
xxanderxu
I want to command Queerty for their speedy correction. They do read the comments!
chaomian
MacAdvisor,
First of all, if you believe China’ stance that Taiwan is part of China, that’s the one-China policy that most states hold to, and not two-China. Second, the vast majority of people in Taiwan identify as Taiwanese not Chinese, and also see it as separate to China. But hey, go against the wishes of 28 million people if you want.
MacAdvisor
I never indicated my beliefs, though I believe both mainland China and Taiwan are China, two, now separate, Chinas. However, Queerty may also believe in two Chinas, I don’t know. I also have not had a chance to chat with the some 28 million people residing in Taiwan, I simply know the official name of the place is the Republic of China. Just like I refer to Caitlyn Jenner as Caitlyn, because that is what she asks, I refer to Taiwan as China as that is what they want.
xxanderxu
This is a sensitive political subject few outside beyond the strait would understand, so I do understand why my fellow Taiwanese @chaomian might turn a little belligerent. Taiwanese people, even though we haven’t identify as Chinese for a long time, are forced to keep the official nation name “Republic of China” simply because the real China has repeated threatened war if we dare declare (or even hint as) a independent nation as Taiwan, despite that we’re a sovereign nation which handles our own internal and foreign affairs with our democratically elected government according to our constitution. So going with your original analogy, this would be like referring to Caitlyn as “he” instead of “she” according to her “official” birth certificate, despite her wishes and identity.
Karlis
Actually, what happened in Estonia at the beginning of 2016 was the implementation of a law on co-habitation which, uniquely for former Soviet republics, also applies to same-gender couples. I know this because I live one country down, and here in Latvia politicians are like the three little monkeys when it comes to LGBT rights — see nothing, hear nothing, do nothing. I believe eventually the European Court of Human Rights will make gay marriage legal throughout the Council of Europe, as the American Supreme Court did in the United States, but what Estonia did cannot really be seen as a “baby step.” That said, with respect to the swimmer: Woof! In a most positive way, woof!
SmithyJones
I think that was very hard for him. Also, I think that he will be more proud of the fact that the owner of https://paperell.com/buy-college-essay will use his story for the next scholarship programme. I hope that you will be waiting for it and show all of your powers.