Australian climber Campbell Harrison defiantly kissed his boyfriend after missing out on the final of the men’s boulder and lead competition, standing up to homophobic trolls.
Harrison, who finished tied for 19th with a score of 9.4, did not advance to the final, as only the top eight from each semi-final were allowed to progress.
“Qualifying was so hard, and getting through everything to be here was really tough. It was just not my day,” Harrison said after his defeat. Reflecting on his journey, he added, “It’s pretty crazy. This morning, when I woke up, I was kind of emotional. I thought, ‘Oh, I guess I’m an Olympian now.’ So that’s kind of wild. At the end of the day, that was the big goal.”
Following the announcement that he had not qualified, Harrison kissed his boyfriend Justin across the barriers in Paris, a significant act given the homophobic abuse he has faced online since qualifying for the Olympic Games in November.
Harrison previously shared a public kiss with his boyfriend, which also attracted hateful comments when the Olympics social media accounts posted a photo of the moment. In response, the official Olympics Instagram account issued a statement urging people to maintain a positive community atmosphere: “Please ensure your comments are respectful and avoid any language that could be [deemed] offensive or harmful to others. We reserve the right to remove comments that do not adhere to this guideline.”
Harrison expressed gratitude for the supportive messages and addressed the challenges of being a queer athlete: “We often tell ourselves that society as a whole is becoming more progressive, or that things are ‘getting better’. But the reality is… there’s a reason why you see so few out-queer athletes in the sport. And that’s because we’re still not safe here.. yet. Pride matters. Representation matters.”
He firmly added, “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.”
