Anton Hysén another of the Advocate's "40 Under 40"

We keep seeing athletes we've missed on this Top 40 under 40 from the Advocate:

These entrepreneurs, activists, politicians, artists, and athletes are much more than ahead of the curve, they're out, proud, and changing the world.

Anton Hysén
20, Gothenburg, Sweden, Football player

At age 20, Anton Hysén is Sweden’s first out professional football player — and one of the few out athletes in professional sports. A defender for Utsiktens BK, Anton told Offside magazine, “ I don’t think it matters if I like girls or boys,” when he came out in an interview published in March.

Hysén says he’s surprised he’s Sweden’s first out footballer because “this is a pretty accepting country. We’re pretty liberal with everything.” It’s one of the reasons he didn’t hesitate when deciding to go public. “I have my entire family behind me, I have my friends and my teammates. I never had a doubt.”

It helps that his father (and coach), former pro footballer Glenn Hysén, gave a rousing speech in support of ending homophobia in sports at 2007’s Stockholm Pride, asking the crowd, “How easy would it be for a 16-year-old boy who plays football to come out as gay to his teammates?” “He was talking about me,” Anton says. “He’s been supportive the entire time. He really doesn’t care.”

Anton says he didn’t come out to make a political statement, but he hopes it helps fans of the sport realize that being a gay athlete is no big deal. “You’re there to play football…nothing else.”