Gay track star comes out after homophobic abuse, gets support from his country’s president
Mitja Zubin publicly came out as gay while competing at the European track championships. The Slovenian hurdler talks to Outsports about his extraordinary week.
Mark
Mitja Zubin was making his debut at the European Athletics Championships last week, having recently recorded a personal-best time in the 400-meter hurdles.
The 20-year-old Slovenian was excited to step onto one of the biggest stages in his sport. He was not expecting to become the focus of a national conversation about homophobia and online hate, which led to him coming out publicly as gay and earning the support of the president of Slovenia.
He’s still coming to terms with the remarkable turn of events in Birmingham, U.K., but he has no regrets.
“Honestly, I’m doing great,” he told Outsports. “Unfortunately, I’ve been used to this kind of environment since childhood. I know it shouldn’t be considered ‘normal’ but it’s the reality I grew up with.”
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Zubin was, however, surprised to learn that he was the only out gay athlete competing in the men’s category at the biennial meet, which brings together the best in track and field from across the continent.
“I had no idea,” he said, adding that the news came as a source of pride.
“Representation matters deeply because everyone should feel safe, welcome, and valued for their athletic abilities.”
Coming out publicly came naturally to Mitja Zubin
At the start of July, Zubin ran the 400-meter hurdles in 49.85 seconds, the first time he has gone under the 50-second mark.
Although he didn’t replicate that performance in his heat in Birmingham, he spoke with enthusiasm afterwards in an interview with the Slovenian Athletics Federation, who posted the video on social media.
However, the comments section quickly turned toxic, full of gay slurs and barbs about his appearance.
Courageously, Zubin took a stand. He shared a screenshot of the abusive comments to his Instagram story, calling out the online abuse directly.
“Just a small sample of the online toxicity that goes on behind the scenes,” he wrote, explaining that the moment illustrated the “psychological challenges” that a lot of today’s elite athletes face.
“I didn’t realize how much hatred there was at home… it’s disappointing to see things like this.”
Zubin’s post sparked an extraordinary chain of public support that reached the highest levels of government in his homeland.
The Slovenian Athletics Federation released a strong statement, saying: “Comments directed at personal characteristics and insinuations about the sexual orientation of individuals are offensive and unacceptable.”
Shortly after, the president of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, voiced her support publicly. In a social media post about the dangerous effects of discrimination in society, she addressed the young hurdler directly, offering words of encouragement and emphasizing the nation’s core values.
“Mitja Zubin, I want you to know that the support of the vast majority of people continues to follow you louder than those who insult and humiliate,” Pirc Musar wrote. “There is no place for homophobia, hate speech and discrimination in sports in our society.”
In correspondence with Slovenian media, Zubin said he welcomed the president’s intervention. He also spoke about being gay. “I came out so that maybe someone who comes after me, someone younger, won’t be ashamed of it,” he told the sports newspaper Ekipa.
Social attitudes in Slovenia not yet in step with LGBTQ rights
Outsports reached out to Zubin to congratulate him on his handling of the events of an intense last few days.
“This was actually the first time I’ve spoken publicly about my sexual orientation,” he said.
“I never felt the need to broadcast it to the world. In my personal life, most people close to me already knew I was gay. I came out to my mom, my younger brother, and my close friends when I was 16.
“Not everyone in my extended family knew until this recent situation arose, but I’m completely fine with that.”
From 1,645 athletes taking part in the European Athletics Championships, Outsports knew of just four who are publicly out as LGBTQ, all of them women. In men’s track, the British hurdler Seamus Derbyshire was also on the entry list for the 4x400m relay but ultimately did not race.
Zubin is proud to have provided much-needed representation. “My biggest motivation for speaking up is the younger generation,” he said.
“Growing up, having a visible role model can make all the difference, so I want younger athletes or anyone struggling to accept who they are to know they aren’t alone, that they have support, and that someone is in their corner.
“I want them to see that you can be your authentic self and still perform at the highest level.”
Zubin feels his experience and the president’s response say a lot about modern-day Slovenia, a nation of just over 2 million people where LGBTQ rights have improved rapidly in recent years but where social attitudes are playing catch-up.
The country ranks 40th on the Equaldex Equality Index and 17th on the ILGA Rainbow Europe map, making it one of the most progressive in central Europe. Slovenia won its independence in 1991, and four years ago, it became the first post-communist country in the world to legalize equal marriage and full adoption rights for same-sex couples.
However, a 2023 Eurobarometer public opinion survey highlighted a disparity. Only 58% of Slovenes said they agreed “there is nothing wrong in a sexual relationship between two persons of the same sex,” while only 42% agreed that “lesbian, gay and bisexual people should have the same rights as heterosexual people.” The European Union average for the latter statistic was 69%.
This is what Zubin means by the “reality” of his adolescence. Outsports knows of only one other elite Slovenian-born sportsperson who is LGBTQ — the former cross-country skier Barbara Jezeršek, who competed in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and was one of just seven out gay athletes at Sochi 2014.
She later emigrated to Australia, and was part of their Olympic team at PyeongChang 2018.
Mitja Zubin will do his talking on the track and be a role model
Zubin explained to Outsports that it has taken a lot of self-care in recent years to build up the kind of confidence where he can take a public stand against homophobia.
“I believe too few people take the time to focus on themselves and personal improvement.
“Everyone would benefit from sitting down, self-reflecting, and working on their own growth before passing judgment on others.”
His aim now is to keep improving as he chases his dream of making it to the World Championships and maybe even the Olympics.
“I want my results to speak for themselves,” he said. “Being gay is just one small piece of who I am — it doesn’t define my entire identity or my limits as an athlete.”
Yet he also sees enormous value in being out. “It shows younger generations that who you are should never hold you back from what you can achieve on the track.”
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