Pro Handball Player Villads Raahauge Jensen Comes Out in Insta Post

Danish pro handball player Villads Raahauge Jensen came out in a January 12 Instagram post. Saying that he has been instantly accepted by his teammates, Jensen expressed regret at not having come out sooner.

"I am gay," the 28-year-old athlete posted alongside a photo of himself as a child. "Three words that in reality should be easy to say, but which for many years I have been afraid to be open about."

Outsports noted that Jensen "is a 28-year-old attacking player from Denmark who currently plays for Lugi HF in the second-tier Swedish Allsvenskan league."

The LGBTQ+ athletics site went on to detail that "The 6ft 4in pivot was born in Copenhagen and played for the Ajax team in his home city before moving on to other Danish clubs."

Jensen related in his Instagram post that he had been contemplating coming out publicly for some time, but feared the consequences to his career. Writing that "handball has always been my number one priority in every aspect of my life," the star player said that "the idea that the whole narrative of who I was as a person should change solely based on my sexuality has been something I have not dared to take a chance on."

"I've been terrified about how people, teammates, coaches and anyone around handball would react," Jensen said. "And although my closest friends have known for some time, and my family has always known, it's still scary to tell something you've kept secret for so long."

He noted that "Being gay in sports is in many ways still taboo without me quite having the explanation as to why. I just know that it has been really hard for me to be open about who I am."

But when Jensen summoned the courage to be open about who he is, he was greeted with open arms.

"In many ways I wish I had had the courage to come out sooner," Jensen related, "and when I told the club and my teammates last week, it was of course received only positively."

Omni filled in that the mood among Jensen's teammates was celebratory: "Everyone was supportive, giving him high fives and pats on the back."

It wasn't just his teammates that gave Jensen a warm greeting.

"How proud I am of you and I welcome you to our world," one fan posted at another entry on Jensen's Insta. "Beeing such a public person and beeing open is really great. I wiish you all the best❤️❤️❤️".

"The 🏳️‍🌈 community welcomes you with open arms and hearts," another offered.

"Congratulations!!!!! So cool that you dare to live authentically!!!" a third cheered.

Now that he's out, Jensen said, he hopes to "be a role model to show that it is okay to be gay in the world of sports."

"Meanwhile, i sincerely hope that you'll still see me exactly as the person I've always been," the athlete added. "Because yes I'm gay, but also so much more than that."