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13 September 2018 10:53 AM

Tadd Fujikawa becomes first male professional golfer to come out as gay

The 27-year-old American made the announcement on World Suicide Prevention Day.

By Will Stroude

US golfer Tadd Fujikawa has become the sport’s first male professional player to come out publicly as gay.

The 27-year-old sportsman opened up about his sexuality in a heartfelt post on Instagram to mark World Suicide Prevention Day, with the hope of “making a difference in someone’s life”.

“So… I’m gay. Many of you may have already known that. I don’t expect everyone to understand or accept me,” he wrote.

“But please be gracious enough to not push your beliefs on me or anyone in the LGBTQ community. My hope is this post will inspire each and every one of you to be more empathetic and loving towards one another.”

Hawaii-born Fujikawa, who became the youngest player to ever qualifty for US Open in 2006 as a 15-year-old amateur, explained that he had been “back and forth” over the issue of whether to come out publicly, adding that years spent in the closet had left him struggling with his mental health.

 
 
 
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*PLEASE READ* Coincidentally, today is world suicide prevention day. However, I was going to share this regardless. So…I’m gay. Many of you may have already known that.😅 I don’t expect everyone to understand or accept me. But please be gracious enough to not push your beliefs on me or anyone in the LGBTQ community. My hope is this post will inspire each and every one of you to be more empathetic and loving towards one another. 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. Although it’s a lot more accepted in our society today, we still see children, teens, and adults being ridiculed and discriminated against for being the way we are. Some have even taken their lives because of it. 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. Whether the LGBTQ is what you support or not, we must liberate and encourage each other to be our best selves, whatever that may be. It’s the only way we can make this world a better place for future generations. I don’t want this to be focused on me. I just want to spread love and acceptance to others who are in a similar situation. 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!❤️ I can’t wait for the day we all can live without feeling like we’re different and excluded. A time where we don’t have to come out, we can love the way we want to love and not be ashamed. We are all human and equal after all. So I dare you…spread love. Let’s do our part to make this world a better place.🏳️‍🌈❤️💛💚💙💜

A post shared by Tadd Fujikawa (@taddy808) on

“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,” he wrote.

“Although it’s a lot more accepted in our society today, we still see children, teens, and adults being ridiculed and discriminated against for being the way we are. Some have even taken their lives because of it.

“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.”

Encouraging others grappling with their sexuality to reach out to him, Fujikawa continued: “I just want to spread love and acceptance to others who are in a similar situation. If anyone out there is struggling, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

He added: “YOU ARE LOVED AND YOU ARE ENOUGH…AS IS, EXACTLY AS YOU ARE!.

“I can’t wait for the day we all can live without feeling like we’re different and excluded. A time where we don’t have to come out, we can love the way we want to love and not be ashamed.

“We are all human and equal after all. So I dare you… spread love. Let’s do our part to make this world a better place.”

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