Campbell Harrison and his boyfriend won’t let the bastards get them down.

The champion climber, who will compete at the Paris Olympics, took on the haters after a Pride Month post went viral. As Outsports reports, the official Olympics account on Instagram shared 10 pics of Campbell and his boyfriend, Justin, embracing each other. The post is titled, “A Kiss Worth Celebrating.”

The opening image shows Campbell and Justin looking each other in the eyes, while the fourth shows their romantic celebration when Campbell qualified for the Olympics last year.

“After not making it to Tokyo 2020, Australian sport climber Campbell Harrison did not give up and four years later secured a quota spot for the Olympic Games,” the post’s caption reads. “It was an emotional victory celebrated together with his partner, Justin.⁠”

Tens of thousands of allies are celebrating along with Campbell and Justin, with the post garnering more than 89,700 “likes.” But there was also a deluge of antigay remarks. One of the common refrains was the ol’ “What does this have to do with sports?!”, which is really just code for “I hate gay people.”

With the Olympics only one month away, Harrison is currently preparing for a World Cup climbing event in Austria. But the out and proud Aussie couldn’t resist addressing his foolish critics. 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,'” Harrison 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.

The truth hurts! 💅💅💅

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As the first out queer climber in Olympic history, Harrison is already breaking barriers. He dreamed of making his Olympic debut in Tokyo three years ago, but then lockdown measures were enacted, forcing him to cut his training short.

His sister was also diagnosed with breast cancer.

“We were about a week out from Christmas and my whole family was going to be together before our lives were turned upside down with her chemo and everything like that,” he said in an interview with the Australian Olympic Committee. “I had a couple of hours to make this decision, ‘Do I keep pushing for the Olympics?’”

Ultimately, Harrison decided to stay home with his family, which he calls a “very, very hard decision.” But when the world opened up again, he picked up right where he left off.

Harrison won two titles at the 2022 Sport Climbing Australia national champions, solidifying his place at the top of the nascent sport.

Since coming out in 2021, he’s wanted to be the role model for other young LGBTQ+ athletes that he lacked. Kissing his boyfriend when he qualified for the Olympics embodies the representation that Harrison wants to exude.

“From what I could see, every other athlete who qualified whose partner was there, kissed their partner on the live stream, so it was very common,” he told Outsports. “But when it’s two men, it catches attention for sure! And that can be a good and powerful thing.”

An array of queer sports stars have rallied around Harrison on social media. Matthew Mitcham, who became the first out gay Olympian to win gold in 2008, shared his anger about the vitriolic response.

“15 years ago I kissed my partner on camera when I won in Beijing 2008,” he commented. “This one post by @olympics has received more hate than I did in my whole career. Y’all need Jesus.”

U.S. bobsledder Chris Kinney, who publicly came out as bi in 2020, also offered his support. “Welcome to the Olympian club and also good on you for being an athlete so many young lgbt athletes can look up to as they pursue their sport with passion! See you in Paris!,” he wrote.

Scores of gay sports figures also “liked” the post, including but not limited to: Gus Kenworthy, Kevin Maxen, Ian Thorpe, Bruce Mouat, Arthur Nory, Heath Thorpe, Robbie Manson and Bryden Hattie.

And it wasn’t just members of Team LGBTQ+ standing up for Harrison, either. His Australian climbing teammates Kyra Condie and Chloe Caulie and kayaker Evy Leibfarth offered their support, too. That’s perhaps the most significant sign of all. It shows that Harrison is embraced by his peers.

Meanwhile, the homophobes are in the minority, typing mean words into the abyss.

Unattractive indeed!

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