Danish handball athlete Villads Raahauge Jensen comes out as gay to ‘high fives’ from teammates
“I am gay,” wrote Jensen. “Three words that in reality should be easy to say, but which for many years I’ve been afraid to be open about"
By Gary Grimes
Villads Raahauge Jensen, the Danish handball player and podcaster, has come out of the closet in an emotional post on Instagram.
“I am gay,” wrote Jensen. “Three words that in reality should be easy to say, but which for many years I’ve been afraid to be open about.
“I’ve been thinking of posting a post like this for a long time, and have been thinking if this was the right way to come out. But there is probably no right or wrong way.”
“Those who know me, also know that handball has always been my number one priority in every aspect of my life,” wrote Jensen, who plays for Lugi HF in the second-tier Swedish Allsvenskan league.
“But the idea that the whole narrative of who I was as a person should change solely based on my sexuality has been something I have not dared to take a chance on. I’ve been terrified about how people, teammates, coaches and anyone around handball would react.”
“Would they look at me any different? Would they think I was wrong? Would I no longer be a part of the team, in the same way I was before?” Jensen, aged 28, pondered.
“Being gay in sports is in many ways still taboo without me quite having the explanation as to why. I just know that it’s been really hard for me to be open about who I am.”
In spite of the player’s fears about coming out, Omni reported that the news was met with love and acceptance from his teammates, with them all “giving him high fives and pats on the back.”
“In many ways, I wish I had had the courage to jump out sooner, and when I told the club and my teammates last week, it was obviously only received positively,” Jensen revealed on Instagram.
“And although my closest friends have known for some time, and my family has always known, it’s still scary to tell something you’ve kept secret for so long. Hiding a large part of who you are from almost all people, makes you can never really be 100% yourself.
“But I hope that with this post, I can help others, and maybe be a role model to show that it is OK to be gay in the world of sports.”
Elsewhere, the player spoke to Sydsvenskan, saying: “I don’t want anyone to think that I’m ashamed of being gay, because that’s not the case. But it is a taboo in sports.”