BMX Rider Corey Walsh 'Stoked' to Come Out as Gay

Corey Walsh has come out as gay.

The professional rider penned a coming-out letter on Instagram, which was shared with his followers Monday. In it, the world's 10th best BMX rider revealed that he once believed that such a note was "never going to happen." However, support from his family, friends, and sponsors led him to the point where he could say "fuck it."

"Trust me, I'm not the person who wants to let people in on my personal life and in a perfect world I would not have to," Walsh wrote. "But the reality is there are a lot of people still struggling with the same situations and I just wanted to let people know that they are not alone. I feel like the world is shifting into a more understanding place and now is the time to open up the conversation within our communities every chance we get. So here we are."

"I understand the privilege I've had with my situation and the reality is a lot of members of the LGTBQ community don't always get positive experiences," he added. "So I ask you if you can take anything positive from my situation please be open minded to anyone struggling with their own journeys. And to anyone out there dealing with the bad days it does get better. Just take it one day at a time. And if anyone ever needs someone to talk to my DMs are open."

Walsh, 26, is one of only a handful of out men in the professional BMX world; others include Graeme Obree, Justin Laevens, and Matt Beringer. His coming-out journey was also detailed in a new reported piece published in Dig BMX.

Walsh is a native of Ayr, Canada. His sponsors are Vans, Cult, Ryder Distro, and Fast & Loose, according to the website for the Vans BMX Pro Cup, in which he competed in 2019.

Walsh's coming-out has already had a positive impact on the cyclist. "Holy shit that feels good, I'm stoked," he concluded in his Instagram letter, along with a rainbow flag and peace sign emojis.