When Justin Lui came out as gay to his college volleyball teammates, there was an ambition at the back of his mind.
Many sports were shut down in 2020, and Lui was back home in Ontario, Canada, keeping in touch with his fellow Stanford Cardinal teammates via long email chains.
He dreamed of representing his country at the 2024 Olympics in Paris and decided being fully authentic in all aspects of his life was the way to go. Having dropped the line “I’m gay” into the correspondence, he came back to his phone to a flood of supportive messages.
Last month, when he ran out for his Olympic debut with the Maple Volleys at the South Paris Arena, he allowed himself a brief moment of satisfaction before getting down to business.
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“I know, intuitively and wholeheartedly, that I would not be at these Games had I not come out when I did,” Lui tells Outsports.
As expected, Canada had a tough group. Slovenia finished fourth at the last World Championships; hosts France were the reigning Olympic champions; Serbia are 10th in the world rankings, one place above the Canadians.
Despite losing all three games, Lui and his teammates were competitive, particularly in their final pool match when they pushed their Serbian opponents all the way in a five-set thriller.
Fond Olympic memories will include being part of the Opening Ceremony flotilla, making friends around the Village, and the chocolate muffins on offer in the food hall (“they’re as good as everyone says”).
But he’s also proud to be representing the LGBTQ community in his team sport at these Games (there is also Nico Keenan, who is out as bisexual and has been playing hockey for Argentina in Paris).
In fact, a check back of Outsports’ “Team LGBTQ” Olympic archive and historian Tony Scupham-Bilton’s research suggests Lui is the first male athlete in a traditional men’s team sport at the Summer Games to be publicly out as gay while competing.
“It’s been very important to me. When I came out, I knew of very few high-level athletes who had been openly gay. At the Olympics, I think Tom Daley was actually the only one I knew of when I was younger.”
Lui wears his LGBTQ tag lightly, appreciating that while being gay doesn’t define him as an athlete, it still matters.
“I find my sexuality to be one of many interesting aspects that has shaped my journey to the Olympics.”
‘I know they support me, no matter what’
Lui’s story came to wider attention when he spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle later in 2020. A couple of months after his coming out email, Stanford announced that men’s volleyball was one of 11 varsity programs that would be cut the following year. The libero was in mourning for his sporting family.
However, there would be a reprieve the following May. “Due to the incredible support and work from alumni, among many others, we were able to save all 11 programs,” says Lui, who was not only able to complete his degree but also pursue a Masters while still competing.
Having made his senior Canada debut in the Nations League (VNL) tournament in Ottawa in 2022, he graduated from Stanford the following year. Results with the national team had been patchy but it all came together in China in October as the Maple Volleys successfully came through the Olympic qualifying tournament.
Lui went to play professionally in Finland and was then part of the Canada squad that made the VNL quarterfinals in June, warming up nicely for Paris.
He’s glad to have been out as gay for all that time. “With Stanford, my team in Finland and Team Canada, I’ve had such great experiences with coaches, teammates and staff.
“Since coming out, I’ve been able to tap into and reflect on deeper parts of myself and share those with teammates, thereby forming such strong connections with them.
“Coaches have never treated me differently because I’m gay. In fact, with some, I’ve been able to talk about it candidly and openly, such that I know they support me no matter what.”
However, that’s not to say there haven’t been some challenging moments along the way. “I’ve had teammates use slurs or derogatory words that are off-putting to me. When I was younger, when people didn’t know I was gay, I also sat among teammates when they had openly homophobic conversations.
“But since coming out, I’ve found that I’m able to connect better with people because they now know the real me. They’ve been curious about gay issues and topics and we’ve talked openly about things in which we may even disagree.”
It’s caused him to reflect on what good allyship looks like in practice. “An ally is not someone who just blindly cheerleads for you, but someone who genuinely cares by way of supporting, understanding, and nourishing their relationship with you.
“Even with teammates who I know hold some different views, I’ve found that they’re still able to have an “ally relationship” with me, one that’s based on mutual respect and admiration for one another.”
Lui has appreciation too for his Olympic family of “Team LGBTQ” athletes. There are at least 195 competing in Paris who are out, a record number.
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“I understand some of the struggles they may have gone through and the unique adversity they’ve faced compared to their other teammates and competitors.
“But despite that, they’ve still made it to the Olympics. These out athletes serve as an inspiration for me, for other LGBTQ athletes (whether they’re still in the closet or not), and for all people in our community.”
He’s mindful too of how his journey as an out gay Asian athlete is a road less traveled. In an op-ed for the Hamilton Spectator last week, Lui’s sister Kayla described how Justin has had to navigate his personal intersections at a time when diversity is being “downplayed or even ignored.”
She wrote: “My brother is the second openly gay man to have competed for Volleyball Canada on the men’s national Senior A team [after Chris Voth].
“He is also one of the few visible racial minorities on the team, as someone with Chinese heritage. At 24, he is the youngest athlete on the Olympic team. Justin embodies what it means to represent one’s country and one’s differences at the highest level.”
In that context, and considering his trailblazer status for gay athletes in men’s team sports at the Games, it’s even more appropriate that he should be thankful for the decision to hit ‘send’ on that Stanford Cardinal group email four years ago.
“I realize now, that my coming out gave me permission to unapologetically become the person I wanted to become, quirks and all. And so when I reflect on the importance of my sexuality in these Olympics, I’m simply grateful for the immense courage I had to come out when I did.”
Lui also has every intention of representing once more at L.A. 2028. He’s vowed to take more photos with famous Olympians next time. He wants to hang out again with new pals, such as the Canadian artistic swimming squad.
But most of all, he will look forward to just being one of the boys, striving to be the best volleyball team they can be. “Ultimately, I believe my experience in Paris has been very similar to that of my teammates,” he says. It’s what he always dreamed of.
You can connect with Justin via his personal website or on Instagram.
