16-year-old figure skater Donovan Carrillo performed a routine in the recently held Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Japan to the song “Hasta Que te Conocí,” by Juan Gabriel that earned him adoration and a spot at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.
Unfortunately, it also caught the attention of some homophobic trolls. Slurs and derogatory remarks began coming in, and Carrillo decided to meet them head on in a series of tweets:
“I’m not bothered being called gay because I’m not. It infuriates me that people see the word ‘gay’ as a joke or an insult towards my hard work.”
No me molesta que me llamen gay porque NO lo soy. Me enfurece que vean la palabra gay como una burla o un insulto a mi esfuerzo.
— Donovan Carrillo (@DonovanDCarr) September 13, 2016
“I admire and respect the LGBT community because I’m friends with a lot of their members, but I am not part of that community.”
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Admiro y respeto a la comunidad LGBT porque convivo con muchos de sus miembros pero no soy parte de esa comunidad. https://t.co/Q3CHxR9iIU
— Donovan Carrillo (@DonovanDCarr) September 13, 2016
“The fact that I’m an ice skater does not mean that I’m gay. Just like a soccer player isn’t automatically heterosexual.”
El hecho de que yo patine no quiere decir que lo sea. Así como un futbolista no garantiza que sea heterosexual https://t.co/YaUFL0J3Ag
— Donovan Carrillo (@DonovanDCarr) September 13, 2016
Related: Soccer Player Richard Chaplow Banned Two Games For Verbal Abuse Of Openly Gay Robbie Rogers
“I thank everyone for your congratulations and words of encouragement. I hope to not disappoint you. I will continue to train.”
Agradezco todas sus felicitaciones y palabras de aliento. Espero no decepcionarlos. A continuar con el entrenamiento!
— Donovan Carrillo (@DonovanDCarr) September 13, 2016
“My mom is a big, BIG fan and it’s a song that brings her a lot of memories,” Carillo said on Twitter when asked about his song choice. “It’s an ode to my mother and an homage to the Divo.”
@johannheroz Mi mamá es muy, MUY fan y es una canción que le trae muchos recuerdos a ella. Es una oda a mi madre y un agradecimiento al Divo
— Donovan Carrillo (@DonovanDCarr) September 13, 2016
Gabriel recently passed away. He never came out during his life, although he was presumed to be gay by many. When asked by an interviewer about his sexual orientation he famously said, “Don’t ask about something that is obvious.”
Related: Juan Gabriel, “The Mexican Elton John,” Reveals Intimate Video With Another Man
Watch Carrillo’s performance in the video below.
Bob LaBlah
This story sounds planted to give the kid publicity. Not only does everyone know by now damn near every male figure skater is/was gay but the entire world no longer gives a damn. This is a planted story.
Matt1961
Talented kid. Can’t wait to see him compete at the Olympics some day
Bromancer7
Totally gay.
Daniel-Reader
Good for him for being himself and following what he enjoys doing. It harms no one else. If more people did that, the world would be a far grander place for all.
Kieran
A kid who’s barely reached puberty shouldn’t be put in a position where he has to announce his sexual orientation to the world. Let him concentrate on his skating.
1EqualityUSA
True-blue athlete. His friends must love him dearly. Thanks for this story, Queerty.
CaliKyle
@Bromancer7: Lol. Yep.
Bauhaus
@1EqualityUSA:
Not to mention his parents. Any parent would be proud to have such a talented child.
1EqualityUSA
Totally, Bauhaus. The kid has a sweet demeanor.
SFHandyman
He is only 16. He is probably going to add at least 15 to 20 lbs of muscle over the next couple of years. He already has the tricks. They are going to be pushed into overdrive.