Wrestler Curdin Orlik has made history, becoming the first openly gay professional male athlete in Switzerland.
Orlik shared the news during an in-depth interview with local publication The Magazine, revealing that he knew he was gay since the age of 12.
“For far too long I have pushed out who I really am,” Orlick said.
“I am not someone who kisses in front of people, but I want to lie down with a man and be able to touch him... I always knew that I was gay, for sure since I was 12. But I thought: this is wrong, it cannot be."
He continued, explaining how the language he was surrounded by as a child lead to a sense of shame in who he is.
"I heard things on the school building square [like] ‘you gay pig,’ ‘you faggot.' Or in soccer, ‘such a gay pass!’ Even when swinging [wrestling].
"Sure, nobody really meant that, but if you’re like that yourself, you think, ‘Shit, that’s not a good thing.’ I thought: I don’t want to be gay. But it’s me. Now it’s out.”
Orlick, a champion of Swiss "swing" wrestling, has a son with his ex-wife.
