Campbell Harrison didn’t just win our hearts when he kissed his boyfriend at the Olympics and promised to do it again and again, he also won over his native Australia.
The standout climber recently joined other athletes from Australia’s Olympics and Paralympic teams in a ceremony welcoming them home. Adoring Aussies lined up near Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, greeting their heroes.
Harrison shared his experience on Instagram. “It was such a pleasure to be officially welcomed home along with the rest of the @ausolympicteam and @ausparalympics team this weekend 😊😊,” he posted. “Big thank you to everyone who came along to to say hi!!”
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It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for Harrison since he returned home. He and his adorable boyfriend were also special guests at The Australian Ballet, posing on the red carpet.
Harrison looked quite stylish in a black sport coat, black vest and silver scarf. His partner, Justin, opted for a gray jacket and silver bowtie with blue dress shirt.
If it looks they were professionally dressed… they were! Harrison thanked a stylist named “Aadhya” in his caption.
Campbell and Justin showed their love for one another on the Olympic stage, when they embraced for a kiss following Campbell’s event.
They also locked lips when Campbell qualified for the Olympics earlier this year.
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Campbell Harrison kisses his BF at the Olympics & promises to do it again… & again!
Campbell Harrison is going to keep kissing his boyfriend, because he wants to!
Their first celebratory smooched caused some controversy, riling up homophobes who can’t stand seeing two men lock lips.
When the official Olympics account on Instagram shared a picture of their kiss to commemorate Pride Month, bigots flooded the comment section with variations of “wHaT dOeS tHiS hAvE tO dO wItH sPoRtS?!” which is really just code for “I hate gay people!”
Campbell, for his part, decided to confront their ignorance head on. He shared screenshots of hateful remarks on his Insta story, including one image of a man using a flamethrower.
“We often tell ourselves that society as a whole is becoming more progressive, or that things are ‘getting better,’” Campbell wrote, per Outsports. “But the reality is there’s a reason why you see so few out, queer athletes in sport…. And that’s because we’re still not safe here… yet.”
He continued, “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.”
While that’s an important message, Harrison delivered the knockout blow in the comments. “All these people mad cause we’re hotter than they are 😘,” he wrote, tagging his BF.
Undettered, Campbell didn’t think twice about kissing Justin in Paris. But he wasn’t trying to make some grand social statement.
He was just… kissing his boyfriend. Campbell captured his feelings on IG.
Only 27 years old, Campbell promises to compete internationally for years to come. He impressed in his Olympic debut, scoring a respectable 23.4, including a score of 9.4 points in the Boulder segment.
He says being in Paris was a dream come true.
“I started climbing when I was nine years old. I never really thought it would be an Olympic sport,” he told Olympics.com. “From very early on, as soon as I started competing, I fell in love with it and I knew what I wanted to do.”
Though Harrison didn’t medal, he still enjoyed every moment.
“I feel really good, but I also had a lot more to give,” he said. “There’s so long between the Games, and you just want to do it all again. It’s an incredible experience.”
With his can-do attitude, we expect Campbell to be back on the world stage… with Justin right by his side!
