Within the past hour or so, I have read and received private messages asking about a particular Instagram photo that German-Filipino basketball player Arnold van Opstal posted just a couple of hours ago. In the photo, which has a rainbow filter, a guy is seen kissing AVO on the cheek and his caption reads, “We are all born equal and our laws should be a reflection of that equality. We have come so far, now let’s go even further and start a new age for us and the generations to come in love, peace, unity, and happiness.”
The Internet FREAKED. One of my Facebook friends, who has since deleted his post, analyzed numerous photos of AVO on Instagram, checking all of the captions and over-analyzing all of the emoticons he has used. “He must be gay,” was the conclusion. Yet another friend sent me a private message asking me if AVO had just come out of the closet.
I am here to tell you guys that no, he hasn’t. Arnold Van Opstal is straight. Just last week, through the Ask Me a Question feature on Instagram, AVO received a question asking if he is part of the LGBT+ community and he clarifies in it that he is straight. He continues to talk about how the whole game of labelling sexuality is a joke, though. “Love is love and everyone deserves to be their own authentic selves without having to fear the udgement of others,” he said. Read the whole story here:
As for the guy in the photo: surprise, surprise! That’s his older brother Christoph kissing him, the same one he talks about in his Instagram story.
We absolutely love how much AVO stands up for the LGBT community, though, and how he firmly believes that homophobia in sports should be addressed more. We stand with you, AVO! We need more people like you.
