Heath Thorpe just helped make men’s gymnastics a lot more gay-friendly
Heath Thorpe's mark on on his sport is now everlasting.
Mark
Heath Thorpe’s mark on his sport is now everlasting.
The Adonis-like gymnast, who never hesitates to showcase his flair on the mat, has successfully lobbied for men’s gymnastics to change the way it scores competitors. After years of campaigning for artistry to be included in the Code of Points, his wishes were granted Monday.
“My Mum always tells me that I may have a greater impact on the sport than I realize — in which I usually dismiss. But today, I can somewhat see her point,” posted the native Aussie on Instagram.
Appropriately, the accompanying photo shows Thorpe in the midst of his signature leap, with his arms and legs stretched in mid-air. The 24-year-old hearth throb looks downright majestic.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Since jumping onto the international stage with a series of championship wins, Thorpe has been outspoken about pushing back against stereotypes. Though gymnastics is popular with gay men–the super ripped and flexible athletes in tight unis certainly have a lot to do with it–there’s a dearth of out gay male competitors.
When it comes to establishing himself as a role model, Thorpe has never wavered.
“When I was younger, there were no queer gymnasts competing on the international level,” he said in a previous interview about his advocacy efforts. “So when I was coming to terms with my identity, I now realize how significant it could’ve been if there were one or even two people at the top level being themselves.”
With male gymnasts historically derided as “feminine,” there’s an institutionalized downplaying of flamboyancy. In fact, Arthur Gander, the person credited with creating the Code of Points, explicitly said he wanted to discourage femininity.
“Men must be careful of going too far with the feminine trend,” he told Modern Gymnast in 1968.
Thorpe is proud to sidestep his warning.
“You’re told from a young age that the sport you’re doing is emasculating, essentially,” he told Inside Gymnastics. “I think in retaliation to that, men’s gymnastics has created this environment of hyper masculinity and heteronormativity. Artistry in the eyes of men’s gymnastics equals femininity and for some reason we see that as a bad thing.”
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The Australian gymnast has come a long way over the last five years.
Already dubbed the “Heath Thorpe amendment,” the men’s Code of Points lists a number of maneuvers that count as “artistry.”
“This one goes out to little Heath and any other young gymnast who dares to dream of a their potential beyond pre-determined limitations,” writes Thorpe.
Even before the scoring system was altered, Thorpe was enjoying a little winning streak. He won his first gold of 2025 this past spring, when he finished first in the horizontal bar event at the Luxembourg Open. That followed his strong fifth-place finish in the horizontal bar at a World Cup event.
More recently, Thorpe competed at the University Games. While he finished a disappointing seventh, he’s still fed his hungry IG followers with plenty of pics. (Thankfully, his tease about curtailing thirst traps didn’t come to fruition.)
Throughout his time in the spotlight, Thorpe has shown resilience. Though he failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, he worked the Games as a correspondent. Unsurprisingly, he shined in his on-screen Olympic moment.
Over the years, he’s developed a close friendship with Simone Biles, the Olympic legend and 7-time gold medalist.
In recent months, Thorpe has turned his attention towards another issue that affects many aspiring Olympians: a lack of financial security. He gagged his fans when he revealed he earns most of his money from social media endorsements, not his brilliance on the mat.
Thanks to his strong voice and perseverance, Thorpe is leading the way for other out gymnasts. His post on IG about the scoring change was “liked” by Olympians Arthur Nory and Tomas Gonzalez, as well as NCAA star Sam Phillips.
In his caption, Thorpe acknowledged his place among the sport’s out pioneers and his peers.
“It is not only myself that can assume influence on this decision,” he said. “It’s also those gymnasts who came before me, who protected the essence of artistic gymnastics, and those who continue to do so alongside me.”
When it comes to out standard-bearers, we’d say Thorpe is at the top of the heap!
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