Japanese-American professional golfer Tadd Fujikawa has come out as gay.

In 2006, at the age of 15, Tadd Fujikawa became the youngest golfer ever to qualify for the US Open. On Tuesday, he became one of the first professional male golfers to come out as gay, and the first US Open player to share their identity publicly.

Fujikawa took to Instagram to announce his coming out as gay. “So … I’m gay,” he wrote. “My hope is this post will inspire each and every one of you to be more empathetic and loving towards one another.”

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Later in the post, Fujikawa said he was hesitant and uncertain that he wanted to come out publicly.

“I thought that I didn’t need to come out because it doesn’t matter if anyone knows,” he reveals. “But I remember how much other’s stories have helped me in my darkest times to have hope.”

Fujikawa admitted that he used to dislike who he was because of what he thought people would say, and it led to health problems.

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“Now I’m standing up for myself and the rest of the LGBTQ community in hopes of being an inspiration and making a difference in someone’s life,” he continued. “Although it’s a lot more accepted in our society today, we still see children, teens, and adults being ridiculed and discriminated against for being the way we are. Some have even taken their lives because of it.”

Fujikawa concluded his post with an uplifting note: “I can’t wait for the day we all can live without feeling like we’re different and excluded. A time where we don’t have to come out, we can love the way we want to love and not be ashamed. We are all human and equal after all. So I dare you … spread love. Let’s do our part to make this world a better place.”

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