Fujikawa made the announcement in an Instagram post on world suicide prevention day.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Wrote Fujikawa:<\/p>\n Coincidentally, today is world suicide prevention day. However, I was going to share this regardless.<\/p>\n So\u2026I\u2019m gay<\/a>. Many of you may have already known that. I don\u2019t expect everyone to understand or accept me. But please be gracious enough to not push your beliefs on me or anyone in the LGBTQ community. My hope is this post will inspire each and every one of you to be more empathetic and loving towards one another.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been back and forth for a while about opening up about my sexuality. I thought that I didn\u2019t need to come out because it doesn\u2019t matter if anyone knows. But I remember how much other\u2019s stories have helped me in my darkest times to have hope. I spent way too long pretending, hiding, and hating who I was. I was always afraid of what others would think\/say. I\u2019ve struggled with my mental health for many years because of that and it put me in a really bad place. Now I\u2019m standing up for myself and the rest of the LGBTQ community in hopes of being an inspiration and making a difference in someone\u2019s life. Although it\u2019s a lot more accepted in our society today, we still see children, teens<\/a>, and adults being ridiculed and discriminated against for being the way we are. Some have even taken their lives because of it. As long as those things are still happening, I will continue to do my best to bring more awareness to this issue and to fight for equality. Whether the LGBTQ is what you support or not, we must liberate and encourage each other to be our best selves, whatever that may be. It\u2019s the only way we can make this world a better place for future generations.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t want this to be focused on me. I just want to spread love and acceptance to others who are in a similar situation. If anyone out there is struggling, please don\u2019t hesitate to reach out to me. YOU ARE LOVED AND YOU ARE ENOUGH\u2026AS IS, EXACTLY AS YOU ARE!<\/p>\n I can\u2019t wait for the day we all can live<\/a> without feeling like we\u2019re different and excluded. A time where we don\u2019t have to come out, we can love the way we want to love and not be ashamed. We are all human and equal after all. So I dare you\u2026spread love. Let\u2019s do our part to make this world a better place.<\/p>\n Golf Digest reports<\/a>: \u201cFujikawa, a native of Hawaii, came to fame in 2006 when he qualified for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, reaching the national championship at 15 years old. The next year he made the cut at the Sony Open, becoming the youngest player in 50 years to make the weekend at a PGA Tour event. Fujikawa chose to forego college golf and turned pro at 16. He has made 14 career starts on tour, with a T-19 at the 2012 Sony Open his best finish. He bounced around the mini-tours for a decade, but last December won the Hawaii State Open after announcing he was\u00a0battling issues<\/a>\u00a0of depression and anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n The post Tadd Fujikawa Makes History as First Male Professional Golfer to Come Out as Gay<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad Gay News<\/a>.<\/p>\n