“League of Legends” esports player Vincent Wang, also known by his in-game name Biofrost, has officially come out as gay.
Wang, 25, came out in a tweet on Saturday. In his post, the Chinese Canadian player said he has been grappling with his identity for years. He also shared that throughout his childhood, he lived with strangers and moved from one homestay to another while his parents worked in China.
— Vincent (@Biofrostlol) May 7, 2022
“At the age of 8, I was bombarded with homophobic and sexist remarks at home, and whenever I did something that wasn’t ‘manly,’ I was told, ‘Why are you acting like a girl?’ and to stop being ‘gay,’” Wang wrote.
“I was hyper-conscious of how I should act and tried not to act or sound ‘gay,’ but I was still constantly bullied at school for it,” the esports player continued. “No child should have to feel like they don’t belong.”
Wang also compared his past to his experiences in the video game industry, explaining that he felt “uncomfortable” whenever he heard staff members and his former teammates make homophobic comments. He was “even borderline afraid” of being fired if he decided to come out as gay.
Before becoming a member of the international esports team Dignitas, Wang previously played for Team Frostbite, Elomingle, Final Five, Vortex, Also Known As and Dream Team, among others.
Wang’s “League of Legends” journey was not all “plain sailing,” as mentioned in the article he wrote for The Players’ Lobby in March 2020.
He recalled trying out for CLG Challenger and Cloud9 Challenger and performing so poorly that the teams converted an attack-damage carry (ADC) player into a support instead of choosing him.
Wang made headlines when he joined Team SoloMid in 2016. He started playing for his current team, Dignitas, in November 2021.
“I’m at a point in my life where I’ve accepted who I am, and it’s taken me a long time to get there,” Wang wrote in his coming out post, adding that “[his] story is not unique.”
“The gaming industry is rampant with sexism, prejudice and homophobia. I don’t believe there’s a quick fix, but it starts with us holding ourselves to a higher standard and treating everyone with dignity. We need to educate people in eSports of proper conduct within the workplace,” he continued.
Yiliang Peng, also known as Doublelift in the esports community, voiced his support for Wang, saying, “You’ll always be one of my best friends and I’m so proud of you for posting this.”
you’ll always be one of my best friends and I’m so proud of you for posting this ❤️
— Yiliang Peng (@Doublelift1) May 7, 2022
Riot Games caster Isaac “Azael” Cummings-Bentley also said he is proud of Wang for sharing his message with the community.
Proud of you for sharing!
Think it’s super important for those who feel discrimated against & marginalized in esports to know they’re not alone & have others who have shared their experiences.
Hopefully everyone can work together to make it a better & more welcoming place.
— Isaac CB (@AzaelOfficial) May 7, 2022
Wang expressed his gratitude in a follow-up tweet on Sunday: “I didn’t expect this amount of support and it makes me feel hopeful for the change that we can make in this community. I’m incredibly thankful for all of you.”
I didn’t expect this amount of support and it makes me feel hopeful for the change that we can make in this community. I’m incredibly thankful for all of you.
— Vincent (@Biofrostlol) May 7, 2022
Feature Image via @vincentgmd
