Polish ski jumper comes out in heartbreaking post following partner’s death
Andrzej Stekala came out on New Year’s Day. (Instagram)
A Polish ski jumper has come out publicly in a New Year’s Day post announcing the death of his partner of eight years.
Andrzej StÄkaÅa, who won a bronze medal at the world championships in 2021, made the statement on social media, admitting he’d kept his sexuality a secret.
“What I am about to write is the hardest thing in my life. For years I lived in hiding, afraid that who I was could destroy everything I worked so hard for. But today I don’t want to run away any more,” he wrote.
“I want you to get to know me for real. I am gay. For years I hid it from the world. From you, from the media, and sometimes even from myself.”
Life for the LGBTQ+ community in Poland in recent years was difficult under the right-wing Law and Justice Party, with more than 100 municipalities in the country declaring themselves free of so-called LGBT ideology.
Covering one-third of Poland at their height, “LGBT-free zones” were condemned by the European parliament, and municipalities that enacted them were threatened with funding cuts. Despite the government being ousted from power in October 2023, Poland still scores just 53 per cent in Equaldexās equality rankings.
StÄkaÅa continued by saying that in 2016 he met someone who changed his life.
“He was my rock, my support, my biggest fan. Together we shared life, passions, joys and difficult moments. He was everything to me: my home, my heart. We loved each other in silence, hiding our love from the world to protect what was most important to us.
“Last November, I lost him. I can’t describe the pain that took over me. The world we built together has fallen to pieces. Every day without him is a struggle but at the same time a reminder of how much I loved and how much I was loved.”
The start of the new year was a “new chapter”, he added, and he will no longer hide because his partner “would want me to continue living in harmony with myself… my story is a story of love that deserves light, not shadow”.
Fellow Polish ski jumper PaweÅ WÄ sek responded to the post with a red emoji heart covered by a bandage.
And Norwegian ski jumper Halvor Egner Granerud, who has won 25 World Cup individual competitions, wrote: āStay strong Andrzej… heart-breaking to read about your loss. Hope 2025 will be a good year for you, filled with the freedom of not hiding who you are. All the best wishes.ā
Polish politician and human rights activist Krzysztof Åmiszek thanked StÄkaÅa for sharing his story with the world and wished him “all the best”.
Other followers described him as brave and inspiring.
“You’re so incredibly brave and I’m very proud of you,” one person wrote. “The world needs more people like you, you’re gonna inspire a lot of people by being open. I’m also so sorry for your loss, the ski jumping family is with you and I wish you all the success and happiness in the year to come.”
Another said: “It’s a pity that a man in the 21st century, in a civilised country, lives in fear of what he loves. Love is the most beautiful feeling a person can have. Sympathy and sincere condolences.”
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