Another pro handball player from Denmark just came out and we had no idea the sport was THIS gay! – Queerty
Jacob Bjørn Hessellund is a professional handball player from Denmark. He came out on Instagram this week just in time for Pride.
“Something has been filling my mind for a long time. Something I need to share,” 30-year-old Hessellund’s post begins. “I want to stand out and to an even greater extent be myself–and thus open up about my sexuality. I will in all probability not end up with a sweet girl, but a wonderful man.”
He continues, “For me, it is not a ‘big deal’ who you love and are in love with. The most important thing in life is to be happy and to be able to be yourself.”
Hessellund adds that he has the support of his family, friends, and teammates, and that he hopes by coming out publicly he can serve as a positive and inspiring example for other LGBTQ athletes who may still be in the closet.
“Hopefully, in time, it will not be necessary to have to come forward with your sexuality,” he writes. “I myself have had so many amazing experiences in the sport of handball and still hope for many more.”
“Sports must be for all of us. You and me. And I’m really still just me,” he concludes.
Hessellund is actually the second pro handball player from Denmark to come out in the past month, believe it or not. Last month, Ola Hoftun Lillelien came out in an Instagram post.
“I have been thinking for a long time about whether I should publish this post, but I now understand that it is something I want,” the 22-year-old wrote on April 21. “Not for my own part, but to be a role model. Not just for young people, but for everyone.”
“Norway is boys who love boys, girls who love girls, and girls and boys who love each other,” Lillelien concluded. “As an athlete, I have only gotten to know warmth, joy and unity, and that’s what sport is all about! Sport has room for everyone, including you and me. Because I’m still just me, Ola.”
Scroll down for more pics from Hessellund’s Instagram page…