Venezuelan Olympian Robert Páez has come out as gay in an essay written for Outsports.
Páez competed in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 competition in Rio de Janeiro.
In his essay Páez said he hoped everybody would be able to find their “true self” and he’d known that he was different since his childhood.
“Growing up in Venezuela, I knew from a very young age that I was different, despite not knowing what exactly that meant.
“It’s a difficult road, to know at a young age that we feel something that makes us believe we are not “right” in the eyes of society. Yet the truth is that if I was born that way, it was because God created me and he wanted it that way.” Páez declared.
The Olympian said he has struggled with his sexuality and times, but his family had always been supportive.
Páez said more needed to be done to make people realise being homosexual was as normal as being heterosexual. In Venezuela there are few legal protections for same-sex couples but in recent years there has been discussions about recognising civil partnerships.
OIP Staff, Images: Instagram
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://www.outinperth.com/olympic-diver-robert-paez-comes/&media=https://www.outinperth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Robert-Paez-Instagram-1.jpg&description=Venezuelan Olympian Robert Páez has come out as gay in an essay written for Outsports. Páez competed in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 competition in Rio de Janeiro. In his essay Páez said he hoped everybody would be able to find their "true self" and he'd known that he was different since his childhood. ){kind=link}