Says you still hear anti-gay sayings in LoL

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The 27-year-old Frenchman Jérémy “Eika” Valdenaire committed suicide on December 27th. outed as homosexual. He is a professional in League of Legends. This is a frightening step, he says, because you still hear anti-gay slogans in LoL e-sports – but that’s exactly why he now feels the step is necessary.

Who is Eika?

  • Eika is a veteran of the French League of Legends scene, having played for 12 teams since 2014.
  • He also spent 2 months at Schalke and competed in the LCS for Immortals, a US team, in 2019/2020.
  • He is currently playing in the midlane for the newly founded “Gentle Mates”, a team in the strong French league LFL. The big Twitch streamer Gotaga is one of the team’s owners.

    • Regional esports teams are experiencing an upswing in LoL. In Germany, Eintracht Spandau is a pioneer here:

    Everything you need to know about the LoL team Eintracht Spandau – in 4 minutes

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    “It feels like a victory over myself”

    This is his outing: One day after Christmas, on December 27th, Eika wrote on Twitter that he would like to identify himself as a gay man. As a professional player, it’s a little scary to be the person you are because you still hear anti-gay slogans.

    But that’s why he’s writing it: He’s doing it for himself and for all the people who recognize themselves in it. He says: Please don’t be so hard on yourself.

    If you feel like you have to lie to people and think that you have to give up the feeling of being happy and being yourself, then this will have a negative impact on your private life and your sporting performance.

    The 27-year-old says it’s naive to think that just because he comes out, all the negative thoughts in his head will disappear, but it’s a step in the right direction. He feels as if he has won a battle against himself. It took a long time for him to accept himself as he was.

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    “Respect” and “courage” are the dominant terms in the comments

    What are the reactions? The post on Twitter is making waves: It has now been viewed 2.1 million times, has almost 20,000 likes, 2,000 retweets and 1,220 comments.

    The comments are respectful and express support: you can read between the lines that it is clear to everyone what kind of courage it takes to come out in the competitive scene of LoL, where many a tasteless saying comes from the supposed anonymity of social Media will be heard.

    The two key words in the comments are “respect,” but also “courage.” Many post a heart.

    In 2022, Biofrost, a famous and very successful US professional, came out:

    LoL: 4-time champion comes out – “I heard anti-gay things in almost every team”

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