For a long time I didn't want to accept that I was gay. Better said: I couldn't accept it because I was too afraid. Homosexuals were discriminated against in Puerto Rico back then, sometimes even killed. I had a friend… — Orlando Cruz Copy Share Image
But I also want kids who suffer from bullying to know that you can be whoever you want to be in life, including a… — Orlando Cruz Copy Share Image
It is very unusual for someone from Latin American society to openly stand by his homosexuality. In my hometown, there are still lots of… — Orlando Cruz Copy Share Image
Four years ago, I was fighting for the world championship title in Puerto Rico. The spectators bad-mouthed me; they called me a faggot. They… — Orlando Cruz Copy Share Image
I came out as a gay as I have earned myself respect as an athlete. I have only lost 2 out of 22 professional fights. I knocked out some of my opponents in the first round. But I never really received respect as a person. That's something I had come to realize over the past few years. The end of… — Orlando Cruz Copy Share
Boxing is a sport that is largely dominated by machos, by men who think we have to conform to a very specific role model.… — Orlando Cruz Copy Share Image
I've been fighting for more than 24 years and as I continue my ascendant career I want to be true to myself. I want… — Orlando Cruz Copy Share Image
I don't want to be seen only as a boxer who is gay. I want to be a boxer who is professional, who pursues… — Orlando Cruz Copy Share Image
15 or 20 years ago it would not have been possible for me to come out. Back then, people still had such narrow views,… — Orlando Cruz Copy Share Image
I developed physically and mentally to take such a big step in my life and in my profession, which is boxing, knowing that it… — Orlando Cruz Copy Share Image
Until the moment I came out as a gay, I have kept my personal life and my career strictly separate from each other. No… — Orlando Cruz Copy Share Image
In the old days talks would have made me angry. But now that I've come out, everyone knows the truth. That's like a protective… — Orlando Cruz Copy Share Image
For a long time I didn't want to accept that I was gay. Better said: I couldn't accept it because I was too afraid.… — Orlando Cruz Copy Share Image
