An Olympic climber has remained stalwart after receiving a barrage of homophobic comments following the virality of a photo of him celebrating by kissing his boyfriend during the event.

Australia’s Campbell Harrison shared a tender moment with his significant other after qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics in November 2023. The image made his orientation public and prompted trolls to bully him during his participation in the event.

Having failed to advance to the finals of the climbing and lead competition due to finishing in 19th place on Tuesday (August 6), the athlete took to social media to vent his frustrations not only with the result but also with the harassment he has had to endure over the past weeks.

“We often tell ourselves that society as a whole is becoming more progressive, or that things are ‘getting better’. But the reality is that there’s a reason why you see so few out, queer athletes in sport,” he wrote in a social media post.

Olympic climber Campbell Harrison defied online trolls by kissing his boyfriend after his defeat at the semi-finals of his sport in response to homophobic attacks

Image credits: campbell_harrison547

“We’re still not safe here… yet. Pride matters. Representation matters,” he continued.

“It’s homophobes and bigots that should feel unwelcome in sport. Not me. Not Justin [his boyfriend]. Not queer people just trying to live our lives without having to lie about and hide who we are.”

The climber revealed that the “sheer volume” of hate he received was “unlike anything he had ever seen before,” but he thanked his fans and others who came to defend him. “If it weren’t for them, I would’ve felt isolated,” he said in an interview with World Climbing Club.

“This is a wake up call. Pride is not just a fun parade we throw a couple of times a year. This is about people’s safety,” he continued. “We’re not there yet in sporting spaces.”

Image credits: campbell_harrison547

Campbell has since received an outpouring of support on both his Instagram and X page, with users encouraging him to remain strong and keep pushing forward despite the hate.

“They are upset because you guys are too cute, too strong, too happy. It must be hard to see from their gray and empty lives. Good luck at the Olympics!” said one fan.

“A kind and dignified response – you should be proud! Looking forward to a time where we don’t need to have this conversation,” wrote another.

“Imagine if people were as passionate in their own lives as they are in getting involved in other people’s lives. They might be able to achieve something. Let them hate, it keeps giving us more to march for. Stay strong,” said one user in support of the athlete.

The 2024 Paris edition is the Olympics with the highest number of LGBTQ+ athletes in competition, with 193 participants identifying as queer

Image credits: campbell_harrison547

Despite the prevalence of homophobic backlash, progress is steady. The 2024 Paris Olympics became the record holder for hosting the highest number of officially “out” LGBTQ+ athletes, with at least 193 competitors identifying themselves as such, according to queer sports site OutSports.

The previous record was 186 participants during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Interestingly, only 20 out of the 193 are males, with the vast majority being queer women who are, in some cases, the majority inside their local teams. Such is the case for the US women’s basketball team, where 7 out of the 12 players are lesbians, and the Australian women’s soccer team, where 12 out of the 18 total have officially come out.

 

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A post shared by Campbell Harrison (@campbell_harrison547)

 

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A post shared by The Olympic Games (@olympics)

Cyd Zeigler, co-founder of OutSports, believes that the wide disparity in numbers between queer men and women is due to a safety issue. 

“Given how many lesbians are in women’s elite level sports, it’s just been a more welcoming place than men’s sports for a long time, just because of the huge percentage of elite level athletes, particularly in Western culture, who are LGBTQ in women’s sports,” he explained in an interview with NBC News.

However, he believes that the number is soon to increase as acceptance inside men’s sports has also started to rise. 

“That’s the biggest thing that people are finally starting to see, that despite the nonsense that goes on in some men’s locker rooms, it doesn’t reflect an actual level of acceptance. The level of acceptance is higher than what they think,” he stated.

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