The list of professional athletes who came out in 2020 just gained a new name.
British gymnast Luke Strong has confirmed publicly that he is bisexual. The 27-year-old gymnast, who specializes in trampolining, shared this information on the BBC LGBT Sport Podcast. The reason we say “confirmed publicly” is because this is the first time on public record that Strong has commented on his sexual orientation. Though, he says he never actively hid the fact.
“I’ve never hidden anything and I’m really open about the fact that I’m attracted to both sexes, male and female,” he explained. “But I’ve never been in a relationship with either of them so I don’t know.”
5x British Champion… and did it with my girl @driscoll86 ❤️🙌🏼🇬🇧 onto Spain next week 🤟🏻 pic.twitter.com/1GNy8FqoXe
— Luke Strong 🤸🏽♂️ (@Luke_strong2) September 28, 2019
When speaking to the BBC, Strong, who comes from Liverpool, said that he’s faced several instances of adversity throughout his time in professional sports.
“Especially wearing a leotard, doing gymnastics, doing the splits,” he revealed. “You get the typical ‘you’re a fairy’ and the gay jokes.”
Strong then elaborated on the fact that “the bullying was bad” during his young adolescent years. The bullying led to him feeling embarrassed about his athletic passion. But now that he’s older, Strong says he’s built a thick skin.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Strong told the podcast. “I feel sorry for people like that who are close-minded and still think it’s offensive to be called gay — because it’s not.”
Proud of the journey I’ve been on these past few month! 3 weeks into my trampoline build and I’m happy with where I’m at 🙌🏼 #rehablife #trustthejoirney pic.twitter.com/LficyO8tHY
— Luke Strong 🤸🏽♂️ (@Luke_strong2) August 16, 2019
Thankfully, Strong has kept that passion and love of trampoline gymnastics. He then went on to meet great success within the sport. This includes winning bronze at the 2014 European Championships. That achievement also made him the first British male senior trampoline gymnast to win a medal at the European Championships in the last 32 years.
Thank you for sharing your truth and your strength, Luke Strong!
Beautiful Barbados ☀️😍🇧🇧 pic.twitter.com/LsQxVTIQcv
— Luke Strong 🤸🏽♂️ (@Luke_strong2) November 21, 2018
