Ralf Schumacher came out as gay
Just before the kickoff of the EURO Finals in Germany, a former professional athlete makes headlines - not a footballer, but a race car driver. Ralf Schumacher shares a picture with the man he calls his "true partner." Sharing everything with him is the most beautiful thing in the world.
Ralf Schumacher comes out publicly: "The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side, with whom you can share everything," writes the former Formula 1 driver in an Instagram post. The accompanying picture shows him with a man, arm in arm - looking at the sunset.
Schumacher also shares stories, in which the happy man at his side is linked. His name is Etienne. He mentions living at the French Riviera and in Cape Town. A conspicuous acquaintance of Schumacher writes in her story "So happy for both of you!!!!!" and adds a heart. Additionally, Ralf Schumacher shares a post from Carmen Geiss. She writes in it: "Today he has come out about his homosexuality. This step was an act of liberation and self-acceptance for him." Ralf Schumacher was married from 2001 to 2015, together with his ex-wife Cora they have a son: David, born in 2001, is also a race car driver.
Carmen Geiss: "You have the best partner"
In a comment under Ralf's coming-out, Geiss reveals more: "You have the best partner Etienne, whom one can only imagine. After two years, you can finally show your love to the world."
In the story of another acquaintance of the couple, Etienne is also linked. Both wear blue shirts with dark collars. The stories and contributions of all parties were removed shortly before kickoff of the football EURO Finals in Germany. Immediately, there were thousands of reactions, and the post had collected nearly 100,000 likes within the first hours.
Etienne himself has not posted anything yet, but he also shared the post of the acquaintance in which he is linked. On his profile, he is shown traveling and doing sports. He appears a few years younger than Ralf.
Schumacher, who raced in 180 Formula 1 races and won six of them, is one of the few former or current homosexual German top athletes who have come out publicly. The most prominent among them is the former football national player Thomas Hitzlsperger. The World Championship third from 2006 came out publicly in 2014, a year after his career ended.
With Lucas Krzikalla, captain of the Handball Bundesliga team SC DHfK Leipzig, the first active athlete in a national top league in one of the major sports came out at the end of 2022. Neither Hitzlsperger nor Krzikalla is an active professional in football or handball.
Ralf Schumacher's confession about his sexuality sparked support from his acquaintances, with Carmen Geiss commenting, "You have the best partner Etienne, whom one can only imagine." Additionally, Hitzlsperger, a former football national player, is another prominent German athlete who publicly acknowledged his homosexuality.
