American golfer hopes coming out will inspire others

Former American teenage golf prodigy Tadd Fujikawa said he struggled for years hiding his true identity before publicly revealing that he is gay.

American golfer Tadd Fujikawa. Photo: AFP

Fujikawa made the announcement in an Instagram post. The 27-year-old from Hawaii is believed to be the first male touring professional golfer to announce he is gay.

"I'm gay," he wrote. "Many of you may have already known that. I don't expect everyone to understand or accept me. But please be gracious enough to not push your beliefs on me or anyone in the LGBTQ community.

"My hope is this post will inspire each and every one of you to be more empathetic and loving towards one another."

Fujikawa rose to prominence by qualifying for the 2006 U.S. Open and at the time was the youngest to play in that major championship.

The American proved that was no fluke when he finished 20th at the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii in 2007.

View this post on Instagram

*PLEASE READ* Coincidentally, today is world suicide prevention day. However, I was going to share this regardless. So...I'm gay. Many of you may have already known that. I don't expect everyone to understand or accept me. But please be gracious enough to not push your beliefs on me or anyone in the LGBTQ community. My hope is this post will inspire each and every one of you to be more empathetic and loving towards one another. I've been back and forth for a while about opening up about my sexuality. I thought that I didn't need to come out because it doesn't matter if anyone knows. But I remember how much other's stories have helped me in my darkest times to have hope. I spent way too long pretending, hiding, and hating who I was. I was always afraid of what others would think/say. I've struggled with my mental health for many years because of that and it put me in a really bad place. Now I'm standing up for myself and the rest of the LGBTQ community in hopes of being an inspiration and making a difference in someone's life. Although it's a lot more accepted in our society today, we still see children, teens, and adults being ridiculed and discriminated against for being the way we are. Some have even taken their lives because of it. As long as those things are still happening, I will continue to do my best to bring more awareness to this issue and to fight for equality. Whether the LGBTQ is what you support or not, we must liberate and encourage each other to be our best selves, whatever that may be. It's the only way we can make this world a better place for future generations. I don't want this to be focused on me. I just want to spread love and acceptance to others who are in a similar situation. If anyone out there is struggling, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. YOU ARE LOVED AND YOU ARE ENOUGH...AS IS, EXACTLY AS YOU ARE!❤️ I can't wait for the day we all can live without feeling like we're different and excluded. A time where we don't have to come out, we can love the way we want to love and not be ashamed. We are all human and equal after all. So I dare you...spread love. Let's do our part to make this world a better place.️‍❤️

A post shared by Tadd Fujikawa (@taddy808) on Sep 10, 2018 at 7:50pm PDT

At age 16, Fujikawa was the third youngest player to make a halfway cut on the PGA Tour.

However, he never earned full playing status on the PGA Tour, and now plays primarily in Canada.

"I've been back and forth for a while about opening up about my sexuality," Fujikawa wrote on Instagram.

"I thought that I didn't need to come out because it doesn't matter if anyone knows. But I remember how much other's stories have helped me in my darkest times to have hope.

"I spent way too long pretending, hiding, and hating who I was. I was always afraid of what others would think/say. I've struggled with my mental health for many years because of that and it put me in a really bad place.

"Now I'm standing up for myself and the rest of the LGBTQ community in hopes of being an inspiration and making a difference in someone's life."

-Reuters