We can’t find another example of a Chinese athlete who has come out as LGBT. While homosexuality is legal in China, LGBT people still face societal and legal pressure. The post was accompanied by ASam surfing against a rainbow backdrop: If my bravery brings comfort to those who feel lonely, and encourages them to support equality, then everything I do will be more meaningful. Today, I am brave to be my most true self, and I see it as the greatest gift I have ever given. Sex, age and skin color are not shackles.
We have the right to choose love and to be loved.
Life is human, the ultimate measure of our inner courage. I will attend the global Gay Games in Paris, France, in August this year and serve as an ambassador. In a post on China’s popular messaging service Weibo, read by more than 360,000 people, ASam explained his decision (as translated by the Federation of Gay Games and Bing): The surfer, Xu Jingsen, or ASam in an Anglicized translation, will attend the August Gay Games in Paris. A professional surfer in China has come out publicly as gay, believed to be the first Chinese athlete who has come out as LGBT.
