Heath Thorpe just helped make men’s gymnastics a lot more gay-friendly.
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.
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.”
