Jakub Jankto recently opened up about his life after coming out, compared to how it was before when he was in the closet.
In February of this year, the 27-year-old Czech Republic football player came out as gay, making him the only publicly gay player in international men’s football. In an interview with BBC, Jankto recalled growing up queer and having to hide his sexuality.
“I was 13 or 14 years old when I knew that something was… not unnatural, but different. As a kid, you don’t think too much about it. But when I tried my first relationship with a girlfriend, it wasn’t like it was with a boy, you know?,” he shared.
The midfielder continued,
“And then when I got into professional football teams, being gay was still seen as ‘not normal’, and football is still a little bit homophobic, I think. So I was scared when I was 18 or 19 and next to other guys and couldn’t open messages on WhatsApp, because I always had the fear that someone might see a message or a photo from a guy.”
Moreover, he looked back on coming out and how he felt at the moment, sharing:
“I wasn’t scared when I did it. It was a huge moment for me – but after six, seven months, I can say it wasn’t a mistake.”
“If I could do it again, I definitely would, because it helped myself and I think it helped many, many people […] I think it set a good, positive example for everybody, and now I’m really happy that I can play without hiding or being scared. I just carry on like nothing has happened, and that’s really, really good,” Jankto further expressed.
Source: attitude.co.uk
TY Jakub for having the courage to be visibly gay in sports. I’m sure you have younger gay fans who look up to you and gave them courage to be comfortable within themselves.