OUT OF THE CLOSET It is always good news to hear that a professional sports person has come out of the closet ... and recently Dennis Del Valle, a professional volleyball player, who lives in Switzerland and is a member of the Puerto Rican national team, has come out publicly as gay.
June 27th - log into the Global Pride website and join in the fun! (globalpride2020.org) Pride online. We’re tremendously excited for the potential for Global Pride to bring people together in the biggest Pride there has ever been.” Julian Sanjivan, Co-President of InterPride, said: “By taking Pride online, not only are we making sure that LGBTQIA+ people everywhere can still experience the joy and community of Pride, but we also for the first time are enabling people to take part in Pride wherever they are. This means people who aren’t out, or who are living in socially conservative countries, can take part. The support of these incredible world leaders and performers will mean so much to marginalised LGBTQIA+ people everywhere.” The show will be livestreamed on the Global Pride website [globalpride2020.org], on YouTube and on other platforms to be announced, and will be free to view. Michelle Meow, Executive Producer of Global Pride, said: “Pride started as a grassroots coming-together to liberate our people. It’s remarkable that we’re doing exactly that during this pandemic. We are bringing a grassroots presentation of Pride to living rooms and digital devices everywhere. Performers on the global stage are invited to join in this historic event to share their message of affirmation, empowerment, and solidarity.”
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he 31-year old, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, revealed that he decided to come out to show that gay athletes can play at elite levels; saying in an interview with 24 Heures, “Now is the time to speak up. There must be lots of young athletes who live in secret ... On my level, I’ve had a successful career being gay.” “I hope they will say to themselves: ‘Why not me?’ Maybe I could change someone’s life. Me speaking out could allow someone to gain confidence, to feel safer, to not stop playing sport for fear of rejection.” “What an unusual Sunday for me,” Del Valle wrote on Facebook after the story appeared. “While I thought I was doing something nice and special for myself, I didn’t realise how much more I was doing for others like me. “I wanted to use this platform not to tell the world my story or who I am. But to try to inspire other people, kids, especially athletes that don’t have anyone to look up to.” We applaud all athletes who take this huge step, which often comes from many years of soul-searching and the fear that such a revelation with have oh fellow team members as well as fans. It is a very brave move, as major stars feel terrified to come out while their careers are active - they are role models ... As well as struggling for public acceptance, players sometimes also face rejection from family as was the case with Justin Fashanu who came out as gay in 1990. The footballer died by suicide in 1998 after years of homophobic abuse and tabloid harassment. Then, Gareth Thomas, the former Welsh Rugby captain who was the first rugby player to come out, was forced in 2009 to come out as HIV positive after allegedly being blackmailed by a newspaper. It is not an easy decision ... we admire and congratulate those who do. You can follow Dennis Del Valle on Instagram. Mag 35
