Brazil’s 4 gay volleyball stars secure Olympics berth in defiance of homophobes
Adriano Xavier says he and his fellow out gay players on the Brazil men's national volleyball team were targeted with homophobia before booking their place at the L.A. 2028 Olympics.
Mark
After an onslaught of homophobic slurs, the Olympics beckons for Brazil’s men’s national volleyball team and its quartet of out gay stars.
The Brazilians won the South American Volleyball Championship in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, sealing qualification for L.A. 2028 in the process.
The host nation beat bitter rivals Argentina 3-0 in the final at the Maracanãzinho arena, taking back the continental title that the Argentine team had snatched from their grasp three years ago.
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An ace from Adriano Xavier sealed the victory. There was then an intense confrontation between the two teams at the net, sparked by a cheeky “wave goodbye” gesture from Darlan Souza.
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After the heated rivalry had died down, the tournament player awards were announced, with Adriano named as the Best Outside Hitter.
During his acceptance speech, the 24-year-old wiped away tears as he spoke publicly about the intense homophobia that he and his gay teammates had suffered in recent weeks.
Along with Adriano, players Maique Reis, Douglas Pureza, and Olympic gold medalist Douglas Souza form a ground-breaking quartet of publicly out athletes on the Brazilian squad.
@breaking_barriers_world THE FINAL POINT… THEN THIS HAPPENED. Brazil
defeats Argentina
3–0 to become South American champions and secure the ticket to LA 2028.
But the final moments got heated… before both teams eventually calmed down and shook hands at the net.
Earlier in the summer, the “Canarinhos” experienced a disappointing Volleyball Nations League (VNL) campaign. The team finished ninth in the preliminary round ranking and failed to qualify for the VNL finals.
Following the losses, the four gay players were singled out and bore the brunt of harsh public criticism, much of which quickly turned into personal attacks.
“The team deserves congratulations. We worked very hard for this,” Adriano told Ge TV after Saturday’s victory.
“It didn’t work out in the VNL, it was a very difficult moment for me, for Maique, for Pureza, for Douglas Souza… for all the athletes, but we were targets of comments, of a hatred that shouldn’t exist for anyone. We suffered at that moment.”
He continued: “We’re crying today, but we’re crying tears of joy because we went through a very difficult time. We fought hard, we didn’t give up.
“Today we became champions, we secured our spot, and we’re going to keep fighting, both on and off the court.”
@d4entreamigxs Adriano se emociona após título e relembra ataques de ódio contra jogadores gays da Seleção: Após a vitória sobre a Argentina por 3 sets a 0, o Brasil conquistou neste domingo (20) o Campeonato Sul-Americano de vôlei masculino e garantiu vaga nos Jogos Olímpicos de Los Angeles 2028. No Maracanãzinho lotado, Adriano se emocionou ao falar sobre um período difícil vivido pela Seleção. “A gente foi alvo de um ódio que não deveria existir pra ninguém”, desabafou o ponteiro. Adriano faz parte de uma geração que ampliou a presença de jogadores assumidamente gays na Seleção masculina. Ao lado dele, Maique Reis e Douglas Pureza também já falaram publicamente sobre preconceito e homofobia no esporte. Douglas Souza, campeão olímpico e uma das principais referências dessa trajetória, retornou à Seleção em 2026 e também relatou ataques homofóbicos durante a temporada. Um dos momentos mais difíceis aconteceu em junho, quando uma publicação do Volleyball World Brasil mostrando jogadores com a camisa da Seleção com detalhes nas cores do arco-íris recebeu centenas de comentários homofóbicos. Pureza contou que os ataques aconteceram justamente na véspera da estreia do Brasil na Liga das Nações. Meses depois, Adriano, Maique e Pureza encerram o Sul-Americano campeões e com a Seleção classificada para Los Angeles 2028. Adriano ainda terminou a competição escolhido como um dos ponteiros da seleção do campeonato. Getv #divo #volleyball #olimpiadas #volei #gay ♬ original sound – d4entreamigxs
National team head coach praised for supporting gay players
The hostility towards Brazil’s gay players built up over several months.
Adriano was the last of the four to publicly come out. In late May, a photo shared on social media showed the gay teammates standing together in their national training jerseys, drawing widespread praise from fans celebrating the rare LGBTQ representation in elite men’s team sports.
However, two weeks later, there was a noticeable shift towards negativity.
Volleyball World Brasil released behind-the-scenes footage from a photoshoot, featuring some players wearing jerseys with Pride rainbow-colored trim — an initiative organized by the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation (CBV) and its kit supplier — and Douglas Souza striking various poses for the camera.
The Instagram posts were quickly flooded with homophobic comments. When poor results followed in the VNL campaign, the discrimination only escalated.
Libero Douglas Pureza addressed what happened in an interview with Lance!, noting that the online attacks crossed a line.
“None of the comments attacked our performance on the court. They attacked us, our experiences, who we are,” Pureza explained.
“This is very upsetting because we believe we’re prepared for some criticism. But when it’s something directly about who you are, it’s very hard.”
Pureza added that the group drew strength from each other and their head coach, Bernardo Rezende.
“The coaching staff, and I want to make it very clear that Bernardo, in particular, was fundamental in keeping us calm,” Pureza said.
“He always said that he trusts us, our work, and that we are honest athletes. So, that’s what mattered.”
Pureza had also given a feature interview to the same outlet before the final against Argentina.
Asked what advice he would give his younger self, he said: “Stay strong. Everything will be alright. Be yourself. Don’t hide it from anyone because it will work out. You are good. Believe in that. Be happy.”
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