Campbell Harrison, set to compete in climbing at his first Olympic Games in Paris this August, is speaking out against online hate after a Pride Month post featuring him and his boyfriend on the official Olympics Instagram account received a barrage of abuse, as reported by Outsports.
The post, titled “A Kiss Worth Celebrating,” showed 10 images of Harrison and his boyfriend, Justin, alongside quotes from an earlier Outsports interview. It celebrated Harrison’s qualification for Paris and his status as “the first publicly LGBTQIA+ sport climber heading to the Olympics.”
“Pride matters. Representation matters.” – Campbell Harrison
Despite the post’s uplifting message, it was met with hateful comments, prompting the Olympics account to ask its 8 million followers to be respectful. Harrison, appalled by the negative responses, took to his Instagram story to call out the homophobia and bigotry.
“It’s homophobes and bigots that should feel unwelcome in sport. Not me. Not Justin. Not queer people just trying to live our lives without having to lie about and hide who we are,” Harrison wrote.
Harrison is also an ambassador for Proud2Play, an Australian organisation focusing on increasing LGBTQIA+ engagement in sports, exercise, and active recreation.
(Courtesy: Campbell Harrison)
“15 years ago I kissed my partner on camera when I won in Beijing 2008. This one post by @olympics has received more hate than I did in my whole career.” – Matthew Mitcham
Fellow Australian and history-maker Matthew Mitcham, the first publicly out gay man to win an Olympic gold medal, showed solidarity with Harrison and his boyfriend. Mitcham noted that the backlash against the LGBTQIA+ community is worse now than it has been for a long time.
The Olympics collaboration post for Pride Month arrives one month before the start of the Paris Games, where the figure of at least 186 out LGBTQIA+ athletes from Tokyo will likely be surpassed. The Pride House Paris venue, backed by the Organising Committee and the IOC, promises to be “a place full of life and celebration.”
(Courtesy: Campbell Harrison)
Harrison, one of 22 Team Ambassadors announced for Pride House, received support from his Australian climbing teammates, other Olympians, and the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC), which commented, “Every month should be #PrideMonth.”
Harrison is set to begin his Olympic challenge on August 5 at the Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue in Saint-Denis.
