American golfer Tadd Fujikawa comes out on Instagram and is reportedly now the first openly gay male professional the sport has ever seen

Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images

Tadd Fujikawa.

• Tadd Fujikawa has come out as gay on Instagram.
• He hopes his post will "inspire" others to be loving and empathetic, as he remembers how other stories helped him in his "darkest times to have hope."
• Fujikawa is the first openly gay male professional golfer his sport has ever seen.

Tadd Fujikawa has come out on Instagram and is reportedly now the first openly gay professional athlete that men's golf has ever seen.

Fujikawa first found sporting fame aged 15, when he became the youngest golfer to qualify for the 2006 US Open - one of the four main major tournaments in the game. He has six tour wins in his career so far, and is currently on the PGA Tour Canada.

Fujikawa published a passionate post on September 10, Suicide Prevention Day. "So … I'm gay," he said. "My hope is this post will inspire each and every one of you to be more empathetic and loving towards one another."

Fujikawa added: "I've been back and forth for a while about opening up about my sexuality. I thought that I didn't need to come out because it doesn't matter if anyone knows. But I remember how much other's stories have helped me in my darkest times to have hope. I spent way too long pretending, hiding, and hating who I was. I was always afraid of what others would think/say.

"I've struggled with my mental health for many years because of that and it put me in a really bad place. 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.

"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. As long as those things are still happening, I will continue to do my best to bring more awareness to this issue and to fight for equality."

Read his full post here:

According to Golf.com, Fujikawa is the first openly gay male professional golfer the sport has ever seen.