US state champion swimmer comes out as gay in open letter

A US state champion high school swimmer has come out as gay in an open letter.

Jack L. Thorne, a student at Berthoud High School near Denver, who has three Colorado state swimming titles to his name, writes openly about his sexuality in a letter posted to his social media accounts on Tuesday (June 24).

In the letter, the teen athlete explains that he has decided to speak out now to help other young LGBT people who find themselves in a similar position.

Read an excerpt from his coming out letter below:

“I’ve spent months trying to figure out how to do this, when to do this and I’ve realized there’s never going to be the perfect time to say what I want to say. But there’s no time like the present.

I’m gay.

Some of you already know, and for some of you this may come as a surprise. Nothing has changed, I’m still the same Jack, the same Jack you race, the same Jack who you carpool with, the same Jack screaming for you on the side of the pool. This doesn’t define me, I’m not gay Jack, I’m just Jack. Being gay happens to be one of many things that make me who I am, it’s not what defines me and I won’t let it define me.

I’m not doing this for attention, I’m doing this because I want to be able to be myself and I want to be able to help somebody. I want to be able to be the person that the 14-year-old me didn’t have, I want to help that 14-year-old realize that it’s going to get better. If I can do that, or if I can change someone’s mind about the LGBT community, then this will have been worth it.”

During his letter, Thorne goes on to thanks his friends and family for showing him support as he gets to grips with his sexuality. “I can’t stop thanking you guys. You are amazing,” he tells them. “The world is changing for the better and I hope I can be part of that change and help break down those stereotypes and misconceptions there are about the LGBT community.”

To read the full letter, click here.

Earlier this year, US student tennis star Matt Dooley came out as gay – click here for the full story. Finnish Olympic swimmer Ari-Pekka Liukkonen also came out as gay earlier this year and you can read his coming out story here.