With a phrase by Inês Brasil, the athlete shows himself prepared for possible homophobic attacks.
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This is how Ian Matos, 27, from Pará, arrives to compete in diving at Rio 2016. In 2014, the athlete moved from Brasília to Rio de Janeiro and made the decision that, if it didn't change his life, took a weight on your back. He acknowledged his sexual orientation and showed engagement with the topic.
Since then, he has always talked openly about the subject and now, in his first Olympics, he hopes that the country that he considers prejudiced and unprepared to educate people can learn from the diversity that the Games bring.
Even so, Ian says he would not be scared if he was offended, as many anonymous people are every day in Brazil, and highlighted that entities such as the International Olympic Committee could better use sport to combat intolerance.
"What needs to change is society. If people behave this way it is because they are conditioned to behave this way. In places where people are open-minded about both feminism and the issue of sexual orientation, you don't see this kind of attack. Don't see people feel ashamed of what they feel, of what they are. The change doesn't have to come from the person in general. It has to come from the general. When I opened up about my sexuality, I wouldn't have spoken out. I don't fear any attack. I never received it either before or after I came out, I'll do it like Inês Brasil, if they attack me, I'll attack them!", joked Ian. .
The man from Pará studied pedagogy for six semesters and believes that the maturity he reached is part of the teachings he received at college. Therefore, he believes that Brazilian schools should work better on the concept of gender, which for him does not happen yet, largely due to political issues.
"No one is born prejudiced, no one is born ignorant, no one is born racist, no one is born sexist. We learn to be racist, we learn to be homophobic, we learn to be sexist. It's something we learn. Of course, you can unlearn it too, people break down prejudices over time. You see people in the Ministry of Education who cannot work on gender at all in school, which was the place where it was supposed to be worked. Why? bars the discussion of gender at school. There are political movements behind this", says the Brazilian jumper.
COI COULD HELP SOCIETY
In his first Olympics, Ian recalled what happened in Sochi, at the Winter Olympics in Russia, in 2014, to mention how he thinks the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should act on the topic. There, Russians' anti-gay law was harshly attacked by athletes. For Brazilians, leaders and entities could better use sport to address the issue and form a society that naturally accepts a topic that for them should no longer be discussed.
"Sport is a very good tool, but the moment we are in historically is not reflecting this. Of course, if the International Committee and the Brazilian Committee did some work behind the scenes, it would be important, but I understand that this is not the focus of the committees. After I took over, no athlete with the same orientation came to talk to me, but I received a lot of messages, from many people saying: "Wow! I'm so proud! I couldn't do it, but I'm very happy that you did it. I received a lot of messages like that", recalls Ian.
Engaged discourse, however, is limited to your world. Ian sees no need to help other athletes follow the same path. For him, whether or not to accept his guidance is something personal and not necessarily public.
"The homosexual athlete doesn't come out out of fear or shame. Or because he thinks he doesn't need to. It's a very personal thing. Coming out about my sexuality didn't change my personal life or my career at all. It was a political movement. I can't come and I don't have the right to say to someone: "Look, this is the best thing for your life." with the lives of others. A person has to be ready for good things to come, and they have to be ready for bad things to come", he guarantees.
Source: Globo Esporte
