When Justin Lui came out as gay to his Stanford University volleyball teammates in 2020, he remembers feeling two very strong emotions: anxiety and relief.
Lui was in his sophomore year, socially distancing from his teammates due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when he decided to share his truth on a team email thread.
“I remember writing the email, sending it, feeling this like a sigh of relief, but also an anxiety about how people respond and feel about it,” he told CBC Sports. “Then I went immediately outside, and I went for a walk … I just walked around my neighborhood, and then came back, and that’s when I saw a bunch of messages.”
Lui, a Libero — or defensive specialist — for the Canadian senior men’s national volleyball team, said he was quickly met with messages of support, love, and encouragement for his bravery.
The benefits of Lui’s vulnerability quickly transcended into his performance, and experience, on the court, propelling him into becoming both a stronger volleyball player on the court, and a better teammate.
“I felt more confident on the court. Volleyball is a super interpersonal sport, and so when I was able to come out and approach my teammates now as this authentic, genuine self,” said the Pickering, Ont., native. “I think we’re able to build better chemistry.”
As for the progress in sport, Lui feels a cultural shift happening into a much more inclusive space for the LGBQT community.
“I’m getting messages from younger athletes saying they feel comfortable coming out and they want to talk to me about their process of coming out. Things like that, to me when I was younger, seemed so foreign,” he said. “I think it’s just becoming more normal for people to see people who are LGBTQ in sports and who are top athletes.”
WATCH: Lui recalls how he told his teammates:
Justin Lui of Pickering, Ont., recalls how he told his Stanford University teammates about his sexuality and how it later impacted his Olympic experience
A positive Olympic experience
This feeling carried him into his Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Games where he represented Canada in men’s volleyball.
“After we qualified in 2023, and heading into 2024, It was between me and another libero who were competing for the spot, ” he said. “I think in the past, that pressure would have been a lot for me and made me worse, but I think in this case, it was able to make me better.”
Lui adds that having gone through adversity prior to this had made him stronger, and able to take the pressure off himself.
Despite the team finishing 0-3 in the tournament and 10th in the world, Lui says the experience was “amazing.”
“When I was in Paris, I told myself, you just want to have fun, enjoy yourself, play the best you can, not putting too much expectation on yourself,” he said. “And I wouldn’t be able to give myself that self-talk if I hadn’t come out previously.”
Making his mark for Pride month
While Lui likely won’t be able to celebrate Pride in Toronto this year, as he’ll be on the road with Team Canada for the 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL), he’s creating his own way for people to celebrate.
For the past few years, Lui and his family have distributed t-shirts to his close family and friends to wear in support of him at VNL.
This year, to marry the excitement of both the VNL starting on June 11, and Pride month, he’s selling custom Pride themed t-shirts and hoodies through CanuckStuff, a Canadian merchandise brand.
“The silhouette is me diving for a ball and then a rainbow maple leaf. That’s a part of what people can do to support,” he said. “For me, they look cool, and hopefully family and friends will enjoy them and wear them.”