Ralf Schumacher shows man at his side
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 "right partner." Sharing everything in life 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 picture accompanying the text 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 also tagged. His name is Etienne. He mentions living in the French Riviera and Cape Town. A well-known friend of Schumacher writes, "So happy for both of you!!!!!" and adds a heart. Ralf Schumacher was married from 2001 to 2015, with his ex-wife Cora he has a son: David, born 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 friend of the couple, Etienne is also tagged. Both wear blue shirts with dark collars. The stories and posts of all parties involved were removed shortly before the kickoff of the football EURO Finals in Germany. Immediately, there were thousands of reactions, with the post collecting nearly 100,000 likes within the first hours.
Etienne himself has not posted anything yet, but he has also shared the post of the friend in which he is tagged. On his profile, he appears traveling and doing sports. He seems 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 place from 2006 made his homosexuality public in 2014, a year after his career ended.
With Lucas Krzikalla, captain of the Handball Bundesliga team SC DHfK Leipzig, a current active athlete in a major league in one of the big sports came out only at the end of 2022. Neither Hitzlsperger nor Krzikalla is an active professional in football or handball.
Ralf Schumacher's openness about his relationship with Etienne has resonated within the LGBTQ+ community, with many expressing support and appreciation for his courage to publicly embrace homosexuality in the world of professional sports.
Despite the initial removal of posts during the EURO Finals, the outpouring of support for Schumacher and Etienne remains evident, highlighting the growing acceptance of love life diversity within sports and society at large.
