Swiss wrestler Curdin Orlik has come out as gay, making him Switzerland's first openly gay male professional athlete.
Orlik came out in Switzerland's Das Magazin (The Magazine).
Said Orlik (translation via Outsports): “For far too long I have pushed out who I really am. I am not someone who kisses in front of people, but I want to lie down with a man and be able to touch him. … I always knew that I was gay, for sure since I was 12. But I thought: this is wrong, it cannot be. I heard things on the school building square [like] ‘you gay pig,' ‘you faggot.' Or in soccer, ‘such a gay pass!' Even when wrestling. Sure, nobody really meant that, but if you're like that yourself, you think, ‘Sh*t, that's not a good thing.' I thought: I don't want to be gay. But it's me. Now it's out.”
Orlik responded to praise for his coming out on social media, writing: “Wow, I am overwhelmed by the large number of positive reactions that you have sent me through a variety of channels😍 With your wonderful feedback, I am now starting a new, open and free period of my life. Thank you very much – with all my heart ❤. Special thanks go to my parents and everyone else who supported me in advance.”
The 27-year-old competes in “swing wrestling,” Outsports adds: “Swing wrestling is a sport peculiar to Switzerland and very popular, with its champions becoming household names. It's a derivative of folk wrestling where the wrestlers wear special clothes that allow for holds and throws and the action takes place in a circle covered in sawdust.”
