TORONTO — Another pro athlete has come out.
Marcus Juhlin, a 22-year-old wide receiver with the Carlsbad Crusaders — an American football team in Sweden — revealed he is gay in an interview published in the April issue of QX magazine.
“I want to step forward as a proud gay man,” Juhlin said.
“I’m already who I want to be. The one I always have been. But I no longer want to stand with the closet open, ready to jump into it when I need to.”
One of the first to congratulate Juhlin was Saskatoon city councillor Darren Hill, who tweeted: “YOU ROCK! CANADA has your back bud! Your story will help many youth with their personal struggles! You deserve global HUGS.”
On Thursday, Juhlin tweeted: “I couldn’t hope for better reactions! I’m glad my story got out to the world. we’re all different. Live with it.”
Juhlin’s team has won the Swedish championship four years in a row.
Juhlin is the second Swedish pro athlete to go public with his sexuality. Soccer star Anton Hysén came out in 2011.
A growing number of athletes are choosing to come out. The list includes British Olympic diver Tom Daley andWWE wrestler Darren Young.
Last year, pro soccer player Robbie Rogers (now with the L.A. Galaxy) and pro basketball player Jason Collins (now with the Brooklyn Nets) came out.
U.S. college player Michael Sam came out earlier this year and, if drafted into the NFL, will be the league’s first openly gay player.
BELOW: Marcus Juhlin appears on the cover of Sweden’s QX magazine.
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