Isaac Humphries, the first openly gay basketball player on the Australian national team, has opened up about his struggle before coming out to his teammates.
Humphries shared the news in an emotional locker room video with his Melbourne United teammates, which he posted on Instagram. In an interview with Today, he said that being the only openly gay basketball player to play for their nation was a special honour.
Although Humphries is enjoying his first World Pride and Sydney Mardi Gras as a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, he revealed that it was a tough battle to get where he is now.
In his coming-out video, Humphries stated that he had struggled to come to terms with his sexuality, particularly within the male basketball environment, as he felt there wasn’t a space for him.
However, since coming out and going through his journey, he realised that there is a space for everyone, and everyone is welcome. He believes that one just needs to try their best to get through the tough times and come out the other end.
During his coming-out conversation with his teammates, Humphries also spoke about his battle with mental health and an attempt on his own life.
Humphries now has his sights set on the FIBA Basketball World Cup in August in Indonesia. Humphries’ coming-out story was the cover story of GQ magazine in February.
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