Brian Anderson, the skate legend that came out of the closet to the 40 years
GAYLES.TV.- Avril Lavigne, that rocker so ignored, has a song that reminds us of our character today, "Sk8ter boy". "He was a skater boy, she said see you later boy"... And is that the American Brian Anderson has been for more than 20 years the undisputed idol of the skater galaxy, a star of this sport little recognized in the conventional circuits. But what made him jump to the headlines of the mainstream press was his coming out of the closet in September 2016.
Gone were years of concealment, pretense and an identity conflict that even led him to have addiction problems with alcohol. "I saw him drown his shame with alcohol," one of his friends declared in a documentary about the athlete.
And it is that, paradoxically, skateboarding, despite its countercultural and alternative aura, is an area that perpetuates stereotypes and homophobic and macho behaviors, they may wear their caps on the reverse and they wear sagging pants, but in general they boast of a masculinity that excludes those who do not enter the uniform. And that was the case with Brian until he decided to take the step of becoming the first skateboarding figure to openly acknowledge his homosexuality. And he did it in a documentary by "VICE Sports" in which he uncovered homophobia as usual in the skater environment.
More recently and coinciding with the presentation of his new collection of clothes for Nike SB, Anderson confessed to «Digital Verne of the Country«:« I was afraid of what might happen to my career and kept silent. Most of the time I was angry that I couldn't express myself freely. He invested that energy on the board. I behaved on the court as if I were a boxer ”.
His imposing physical appearance with a meter and 90 centimeters flying over the table did nothing but perpetuate the stereotype of masculinity that was expected of him. But things have ended up taking a turn of 180 º and Brian's coming out of the closet has turned it into a symbol for the LGTBI collective and especially for the athletes, boys and girls who hide their true identity under their arms, together with the skateboard iron. Now they finally have a reference, someone who shares the wedding photos with their boyfriend on Instagram, someone who actively participates in the fight for LGTBI rights, someone, in short, that supposes a support for those still living with fear of sharing what they are and what they feel.
See you later boy, see you later Brian! Happy weekend!
Source: verne.elpaís.com
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