A 16-year-old figure skater totally owned his homophobic critics
Few sports are as difficult to master or as physically strenuous as figure skating
16-year-old skater Donovan Carrillo was so advanced that he got to represent his native Mexico in the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Japan.
He skated to the song ‘Hasta Que te Conoci’ and so good was his performance that he won a spot at that year’s ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.
Naturally, many back home in Mexico were delighted with the achievement of their representative
Praise came flooding in from across the internet for his stunning performance
“I just finished watching your ‘Hasta Que te Conocí’ performance and it’s brilliant!” said one Twitter follower.
“Hi Donovan! I want to congratulate you and give you my thanks for putting Mexico on the map. You’re amazing!” said another.
But not everyone was so congratulatory.
Some homophobes said that Donovan must be “gay” – and they didn’t mean it as a compliment
Figure skating: dancing, music, tight clothes and all that.
Some homophobes struggled with the idea of a male figure skater who wasn’t gay and took to social media to let him know it.
“Otro Puto” said one – meaning “another faggot”
Another hashtagged #LadyElsa and added that he hadn’t somehow made Donovan gay with his words because “he was already gay”.
Donovan didn’t ignore the homophobes – and he didn’t sink to their level
Donovan isn’t gay, so he explained how wrong the stereotype was.
“The fact that I’m an ice skater does not mean that I’m gay. Just like a soccer player isn’t automatically heterosexual.”
But even though he ‘came out as straight’ – Donovan also made it clear that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being gay.
“You shouldn’t call me gay because I’m not. It angers me to see the word ‘gay’ as an insult or an insult to my efforts.”
Too right.
More than that, he acknowledged his admiration and respect for the LGBT community
“I admire and respect the LGBT community because I’m friends with a lot of their members, but I am not part of that community.”
“I thank everyone for your congratulations and words of encouragement. I hope to not disappoint you. I will continue to train!”
So not just an incredible sportsman – but also an all-round good-guy
You can watch one of Donovan Carrillo’s incredible performances at the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Japan in full below
