LGBT+ History Month: Wheelchair basketball star Bo Kramer on different attitudes

Kramer competed successful her 2nd Paralympics successful Tokyo

Bo Kramer is 1 of the apical wheelchair hoops players successful the world. A existent European, satellite and Paralympic champion successful the sport, she plays for a Loughborough Lightning broadside defending their Women's Premier League title. For LGBT+ History Month she tells her communicative and however Dutch attitudes to being cheery are antithetic to the UK.

I really similar my sporting achievements to beryllium recognised archetypal up of the information that, for example, I had crab erstwhile I was younger oregon I americium gay. While those 2 elements tin animate people, I don't deliberation it should beryllium the archetypal happening that radical request to perceive astir me.

Sport is my main absorption - it is what I love, it is what I bid for and what I tin power - the different things conscionable happened on the way.

I person ne'er done an interrogation successful the Netherlands astir being gay. It is conscionable determination and it is thing that was ne'er an contented oregon asked about.

But present that I americium playing nine hoops successful Loughborough, I americium uncovering that determination is simply a batch much involvement successful maine being an jock and being cheery - it is astir apt the biggest quality that I person recovered successful the attitudes betwixt the 2 countries truthful far.

• Kramer connected her ambitions connected and disconnected the court

Britain is shining a airy connected cheery athletes successful a mode that the Netherlands mostly doesn't, which I deliberation whitethorn beryllium due to the fact that of societal attitudes.

We arsenic Dutch radical could beryllium described arsenic a spot much relaxed and accepting - possibly we person an cognition of conscionable getting connected with it and not wanting to marque an contented retired of it.

However, I bash cognize that determination are a batch of girls and peculiarly boys successful the Netherlands who are struggling astir coming retired and being themselves truthful it is bully that determination are much stories being told.

But portion I americium arrogant of who I am, I conflict astatine times with the information that determination needs to beryllium a peculiar assemblage for radical who are not heterosexual.

There are radical who privation to beryllium themselves, but past you make a assemblage lone for radical who acceptable that statement and it doesn't marque consciousness to me.

While we bash request the assemblage to rise consciousness and beryllium visible, hopefully determination volition beryllium a clip erstwhile we don't request it immoderate more.

I americium conscionable getting connected with surviving my champion life. In my perfect world, we are each conscionable radical and arsenic agelong arsenic it isn't amerciable and you don't wounded anyone, you tin bash immoderate you privation successful immoderate sex you want.

Accepting who I am

My ma says that erstwhile I was astir 2 years old, she thought that I would beryllium cheery erstwhile I was older.

At that point, I was conscionable playing with boys successful the woods climbing trees and coming backmost dirty.

In superior school, I had abbreviated hairsbreadth and wore boys' apparel - but past erstwhile I was astir 11, I wanted to beryllium I wasn't cheery erstwhile everyone said I would be, truthful I grew my hair, wore marque up and started wearing 'girly' clothes.

At that stage, I inactive didn't consciousness thing for girls and had boyfriends and convinced myself I wasn't gay. But successful reality, I conscionable wasn't acceptable and hadn't accepted it.

Then, erstwhile I was 19 I met a miss who I truly liked and that was the archetypal clip I experienced those benignant of feelings. I spoke to 1 bully person connected my hoops squad who helped maine a batch and she encouraged maine to buss a miss and spot however I felt.

That was the propulsion I needed and aft that I knew I was gay. My parents were precise supportive - I person a duplicate sister and my mum was delighted astatine the imaginable of getting a girl successful law.

I consciousness that successful the Netherlands, being a lesbian is truly good received. I've ne'er had immoderate atrocious oregon immoderate antagonistic reactions for it - particularly successful the sports world. And the Paralympic satellite is acold much accepting than I deliberation the Olympic satellite be.

Kramer (left) and team-mate Mariska Beijer observe Paralympic golden successful Tokyo

I had bony crab erstwhile I was 11 and needed large country connected my legs. When I started playing wheelchair hoops soon after, it was similar being home. Everyone was truthful accepting of each differences - whether you had 1 limb oregon two, whether you could locomotion oregon not, immoderate colour your hairsbreadth was oregon immoderate your sexuality.

It is each astir being together, learning from each other, achieving dreams and overcoming challenges connected a regular ground due to the fact that the satellite is not needfully made for wheelchair users - but neither is it ever made for cheery people. There are ever challenges to beryllium faced.

Our sport's World Championships instrumentality spot successful June successful Dubai successful the United Arab Emirates - a state wherever being cheery is amerciable and could enactment you successful jail.

There are a fig of cheery pistillate athletes some connected my ain squad and wrong the athletics and portion making immoderate benignant of connection would not beryllium the close happening to bash astatine the tournament, beforehand we tin awesome that this is who we are and we aren't going to fell it.

I person talked to a batch of the different girls astir however we consciousness due to the fact that we are going to a state wherever you can't beryllium yourself. If my woman came to ticker the games there, I would beryllium acrophobic to adjacent springiness her a hug.

Not going is not an enactment either, due to the fact that it is simply a satellite title and we arsenic a Dutch squad volition beryllium proudly defending our title, and it besides has implications for our qualification for the Paris Paralympics.

While I admit I americium frightened to spell determination due to the fact that I don't cognize however radical volition react, I besides anticipation that sharing my communicative tin assistance radical successful countries similar the UAE to amusement that being cheery is mean and the satellite is not collapsing due to the fact that of us.

Bo Kramer was speaking to BBC Sport's Elizabeth Hudson

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