The First Openly Gay Men's Tennis Player Wants To Make The Sport More Welcoming To Queer Athletes

In his 2nd act, Vahaly has held elder executive positions astatine Washington, D.C.-based task superior and finance guidance firms. But astir 5 years aft stepping distant from tennis, he was asked to service connected nan USTA’s board. “As I was learning who I was, I didn’t consciousness for illustration tennis was a safe abstraction for me, truthful I said no. Fortunately, nan feline who was recruiting maine knew maine rather good and knew really to pat into my competitory side,” Vahaly recalled pinch a laugh.

“When you don’t spot group earlier you arsenic a imaginable domiciled model, it’s difficult to know, arsenic a cheery jock and man, whether nan statement — aliases a athletics much broadly — would beryllium comfortable pinch you successful a activity position,” he added. “When I came on, I was very guarded. Most committee members for maine were importantly older, often talking to maine astir their daughters. I conscionable played it quiet and focused connected wherever I thought I could make an impact, which was really connected nan subordinate improvement broadside of nan house.”

Women’s tennis has historically had galore openly cheery players — including King, Navratilova and astir precocious Russian-born Australian Daria Kasatkina. But only 1 men’s subordinate has followed successful Vahaly’s footsteps: Brazil’s Joao Lucas Reis da Silva, who reached a profession precocious of No. 234 past month.

While location is now greater taste acceptance of nan LGBTQ community, Vahaly pointed retired location are still a number of factors preventing antheral players — for illustration his younger aforesaid — from wanting to travel out, including nan imaginable financial fallout from sponsors and nan reality that nan circuit still travels to countries wherever being cheery is neither ineligible nor accepted.

“The caller procreation thinks astir inclusion and astir being themselves truthful otherwise than my generation, truthful I’m hopeful that [homophobic] connection starts to autumn distant a small bit, that group successful our organization consciousness accepted into sport,” he said. “Once we commencement to build nan numbers, you’ll commencement to spot those athletes making it up to nan pro tour.”

Now, arsenic an LGBTQ leader successful sports, Vahaly still faces immoderate casual homophobia. “There are still rooms wherever my floor plan is shared, but they time off retired nan truth that I’m cheery aliases I’m a dad,” he said. But, “sometimes, shouting from nan rooftops your beliefs aliases being really patient and successful your look is not nan correct approach.”

“Those are reliable rooms, sometimes, erstwhile group aren’t utilized to seeing a cheery family, but I deliberation humanizing group successful our organization is really what drives america forward,” he continued. “I’m not trying to push thing down anybody’s throat. I’m simply trying to show really and why we’re really not that different. I deliberation that allows nan abstraction for group to beryllium unfastened to diverseness and inclusion.”

Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has targeted diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and rolled backmost ineligible protections for LGBTQ people, peculiarly those who are transgender. In consequence to nan existent governmental climate, Vahaly said he is “less” focused connected “what’s happening astir us” and much focused connected really he tin usage nan U.S. Open to amplify nan activity of LGBTQ organizations specified arsenic The Trevor Project, Athlete Ally, You Can Play and nan Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance. (The Grand Slam will big its fifth yearly Open Pride day connected Aug. 28.)

“I deliberation astir what I tin do and what I tin control,” Vahaly said. “What I tin do is beryllium honorable astir myself and return portion successful interviews for illustration this to proceed to show and show to nan world nan diverseness that exists wrong our athletics and that they should consciousness welcome. I want group to cognize and spot that this is simply a safe spot for them.”