Michael Gunning Says He Became A Better Athlete After Coming Out

The competitive swimmer from Jamaica, Michael Gunning, writes an article for ‘Metro’ and states that he “became a better swimmer after coming out.”

“Competitive swimming and sport has been a huge part of my life for the past 15 years, but through that time I’ve struggled and worried about how my sexuality would be perceived when I started representing my country (Team GB until 2016 and since then, Jamaica) on the world stage. Because of this, I suppressed my feelings for a long time and wasn’t open about who I was,” he states. 

“It wasn’t until I decided to take time away from sport last summer to really find myself and go through my own journey in addressing, accepting and being open about my sexuality. I ended up taking part in the E! Reality series The Bi Life and it was a transformative experience,” he continued. 

“When I came out, everyone reacted better than I could have ever imagined. This past year, I’ve travelled to Australia, Switzerland, South Korea and Puerto Rico for international swimming competitions and I’ve had nothing but love and support for my coming out story.”

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