#26 Paving ways & coming out in the world of hockey with Jon Lee-Olsen

Yellow Glitter

In this episode, we are joined by Jon Lee-Olsen, a professional ice-hockey player who made headlines as the first openly out player in Europe and third in the world. We talk about his experience coming out nationally, managing relationships alongside a sports career, and his experiences as a transracial adoptee.

Jon (he/him) is Danish transracial adoptee from Korea who currently lives in Copenhagen Denmark. He was the first to come out as a gay man in professional ice-hockey in Europe and the third in the world. Now he is harnessing his story to help uplift LGBTQ+ and the Asian community.

In this episode we talk about:

• Experiences of being an Asian transracial adoptee growing up in a white community
• How he discovered hockey while coming to terms with his own sexuality
• His experience coming out on national television for the first time
• Combatting the fears of being the first openly out gay ice-hockey player in Europe
• How being open about his identity improved his hockey
• Lessons in relationships balancing a professional sports career

Show notes:

• LGBTQ+ organizations (list on Wikipedia)
• Jon Lee-Olsen comes out nationally (OutSports)
• You can find Jon Lee-Olsen next at Copenhagen world pride 2021, Eurogames 2021, Athlete ally, Sport leaders conference 2021 (CPH), and Human rights forum 2021 (CPH).

You can find Jon Lee-Olsen at:

Instagram: @jonleeolsen

Twitter: @jonleeolsen

Facebook: @jonleeolsen

You can follow me at:

Instagram: @stevenwakabayashi

YouTube: @stevenwakabayashi

Weekly Newsletter: mindfulmoments.substack.com