Olympic Champion Kelly Holmes, 52, Out: “A Small Phone Call Could Have Saved 28 Years of Grief” | other sports
Two-time Olympic champion Kelly Holmes was knocked out. The 52-year-old British athlete, who won gold at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens in the 800 and 1,500 metres, said in an interview with the newspaper. Sunday Mirror She is a lesbian.
I have to do this now, I can feel it in everything. said Holmes, who said she’s known she’s been in love with women since the age of 17, although I’m a little nervous. “Sometimes I cry with relief. By the time this interview is published, I will basically be rid of this fear.”
Holmes is a former army officer. She replaced this job for athletics in 1997. She hid her sexuality in the army for fear of repercussions because until 2000 Britain did not allow gays, lesbians and bisexuals to serve in the military. Holmes’ concerns were allayed in 2020 when she contacted a military leader, himself part of the LGBTI community.
Holmes’ military commander assured that there would be no penalties if she said she was a homosexual now. “All my life I was convinced that if I confessed to being a lesbian in the military, I would still be in trouble,” Holmes said. “I felt like I could breathe again after that conversation. A small phone call can save 28 years of grief.”
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