We have news of the first professional golfer to come out as gay.
Professional golfer Tadd Fujikawa is a native of Hawaii who gained acknowledgement in the world of golf after qualifying for the U.S. Open in 2006. The following year, he became the youngest player in 50 years to make the weekend cut for the Sony Open. He was only 16-years-old.
In the following decade, Fujikakwa has continued on in the world of golf, and has used that platform to talk about personal issues such as his battle with depression and anxiety, according to Golf Digest.
And now, 27-year-old Fujikawa has opened up even more by sharing that he is gay.
Fujikawa made this announcement yesterday on Instagram by posting an open letter in honor of world suicide prevention day.
“So…I’m gay,” he wrote, “Many of you may have already known that.”
The athlete then went further to write about his experiences of coming to terms with his sexuality.
“I’ve been back and forth for a while about opening up about my sexuality. I thought that I didn’t need to come out because it doesn’t matter if anyone knows. But I remember how much other’s stories have helped me in my darkest times to have hope. I spent way too long pretending, hiding, and hating who I was. I was always afraid of what others would think/say. I’ve struggled with my mental health for many years because of that and it put me in a really bad place. Now I’m standing up for myself and the rest of the LGBTQ community in hopes of being an inspiration and making a difference in someone’s life.”
Fujikawa then went on to say how he wants to focus on helping younger LGBTQ people who are still struggling with their sexualities, living in hostile environments, and considering suicide.
“As long as those things are still happening, I will continue to do my best to bring more awareness to this issue and to fight for equality.”
He later added:
“If anyone out there is struggling, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. YOU ARE LOVED AND YOU ARE ENOUGH…AS IS, EXACTLY AS YOU ARE!”
