Retired gay diver vows to use his drag fame to build safe spaces for LGBTQ athletes
While speaking on a Pride panel, Aidan Faminoff reflected on the impact telling his coming out story had on numerous fellow athletes.
Mark
Retired gay diver Aidan Faminoff began a recent Instagram post by declaring, “Entering my next chapter: Public Speaking.”
It’s clear from the insightful content of his caption that he’s also in the midst of his Thoughtful Introspection Era.
Faminoff recently appeared on a panel on Diversity and Inclusion in Sport for Fierté dans la Capitale Pride and European Union in Canada as his drag alter ego Hazel.
Over the past year, Faminoff has seen Hazel’s star rise in the drag community by competing on “Canada’s Drag Race” and performing at Pride Toronto and Vancouver Pride.
But as his appearance on the panel demonstrated, Faminoff’s history as an diver climbing the ranks in his native Canada and competing at Florida State still has a massive influence in his life.
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“I never fully grasped that sharing my story with Outsports back in 2016 would give other people the push to be their true, authentic selves,” Faminoff wrote, “I’d tucked that whole side of me away for a while but this panel woke it right back up.”
In his coming out story, Faminoff reflected on how diving helped take his mind off of the anxiety of living in the closet during his high school years as well as the way it became a vital part of his self expression after coming out publicly while at Florida State.
He even offered a premonition of his future career by telling an anecdote about relieving the boredom on an airplane by leading his teammates and a flight attendant in a dance to “YMCA.”
Yet as he noted in his Instagram post, there were still parts of his athletic career that he wished were different.
“I do drag now not just to inspire, but to build safe spaces,” he noted, “Safe spaces are everything for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, especially in the world we currently live in! A chance to be seen and be fully themselves is all I want. These spaces are what I wished I’d had growing up in diving, but never quite found.”
In a message to Outsports, Faminoff detailed his vision for such a space in the sports world.
“A safe space for young 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes starts with a clear, published anti-harassment policy and a real reporting path that doesn’t run through the athlete’s own coach. Kids won’t report if the only door leads back to the person they train with every day,” he observed.
Faminoff also called for sports leagues and governing bodies to unequivocally stand up for their 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes against any backlash that they receive.
“If a diver gets targeted online, the club or federation should respond publicly. That’s the difference between saying ‘we support you’ and support. It shows they have your back and aren’t just trying to move along,” he stated.
His conception of a safe space included ensuring athletes could feel uplifted by their everyday interactions as well.
“Coaches correcting harmful language or jokes, using the right names and pronouns without making a big deal of it–that daily stuff is what athletes notice,” he added, “And it includes educating parents. A parent can quickly shape whether their kid feels safe or included in the sport, and some of them need help understanding what their child or teen is going through.”
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Gay Florida State diver finds his niche as an out and successful athlete
Aidan Faminoff felt free after no longer hiding his true self.
Appearing on the panel “lit a fire” under Faminoff to get back in touch with that part of himself and embrace his history as a diver.
He vowed to devote more of his energy to “helping others find their voice, checking in on fellow athletes, and holding sport organizations accountable for how they show up for their people.”
As with Hazel’s ascent in the drag world, Faminoff’s growth as a public speaker and advocate for our community is going to make his next chapter especially intriguing.
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