Victor Gutierrez

Víctor was already out of the closet in his environment, but after the wave of homophobic attacks in Madrid he felt the responsibility to do something about it in a more public and notorious way: "as a homosexual athlete, I feel the responsibility to show my face. There have been more Of 70 homophobic attacks in Madrid so far this year, it is a reality that we live in. And there are almost no athletes who say they are gay. But, in my experience, people have changed; as an athlete, all I have experienced is absolutely positive", he declares for Shanghai. This young water polo player is confident that his coming out of the closet will serve to break taboos within the sport and that there will be more and more visibility. He also comments that everything would be easier if someone took a step forward in a sport as high-profile as football or basketball. Can you imagine a first division gay footballer coming out of the closet? Everything will go. Spain is experiencing a complex political situation regarding the LGTB+ collective. Although it is the European country that most accepts and respects LGTB+ rights, there is still a lot of work to be done. The appearance of homophobic ideas within extreme right-wing political parties such as VOX, sometimes supported by center-right parties such as the PP, set back years of work by the LGTB+ collective and in matters of human rights. Public statements by political representatives opposed to The idea of ​​respecting the rights of the LGTB+ collective has led to the spread of hatred in the streets of Spain. This has been demonstrated in the increase in cases of violence and hatred towards the LGTB+ collective, the most serious being the murder of Samuel in Galicia in summer of 2021. Physical and verbal attacks are reported every day on social networks and a few on the police stations. That is why LGTB+ associations encourage people to denounce what happened, because the more verifiable data there is, the more one can legally fight for the rights of LGTB+. Victo will be one of our international speakers who will participate in the beach conferences during the Tamarindo Beach Pride Festival.

Credits to CROMOSOMAX