Spanish water polo star Víctor Gutiérrez recalls the first time he was called an antigay slur
A post shared by Víctor Gutiérrez (@victor_g91)In a new interview with 20 Minutos, Spanish water polo star Víctor Gutiérrez opens up about his coming out experience as well as the bullying he endured as a child and still to this day.“When I was eight years old it was the first time they called me a f*ggot,” he recalls. “I didn’t even know what it meant.
I had to ask.” A post shared by Víctor Gutiérrez (@victor_g91)Gutiérrez came out publicly in 2016. He remains one of only a few professional water polo players in Europe to do so.
Looking back, he says sharing his truth was “the most courageous and important decision of my life.”But that doesn’t mean it has been easy.Gutiérrez says he still faces a lot of homophobia from certain players, including one teammate who told him, “I’d rather have a son with Down Syndrome than a f*ggot.” A post shared by Víctor Gutiérrez (@victor_g91)Last year, he took to social media to call out a rival player who made homophobic remarks during a match between CN Terrassa, for which Gutiérrez plays, and CN Sabadell.Gutiérrez reported the comments to the referees.
