Glasgow athlete Kirsty Gilmour waved the saltire for LGBT athletes on behalf of Team Scotland, at the opening ceremony of this year's CommonWealth Games in Birmingham.
Kirsty, from Belshill, North Lanarkshire, is the first openly gay athlete to wave the flag and insists being a standard bearer for LGBT athletes gives her just as much pride.
The 28-year-old top badminton player came out publicly last year despite having opened up to friends and family years ago. She is also eyeing a medal at this years games, after she won both silver and bronze medals at the 2014 Games in Glasgow.
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She told the Daily Record: "I've had a few 'Oh' moments from random people on the internet saying 'I didn’t know'. But I’ve literally not had a single negative comment and long may that continue. It's just a small part of a person - or a big part of a person.
“It shouldn't be something that's seen negatively because it's just a little bit (of someone's identity). I've surrounded myself with really good people and that goes for the badminton community as well.
“Even though badminton is super popular in some countries that hold really strong religious beliefs, those fans, if you're a nice, good, respectful badminton player, they'll be the exact same kind of fan back to you.
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"That's been completely my experience. So if anyone is on the fence about coming out, especially in badminton, male or female or anyone in between, I've personally not had anything negative and I hope that is the same for you."
Kirsty initially posted the LGBT flag on her social media, as a way of testing the waters, and after her success she hopes it can be an inspiration to fellow athletes contemplating whether to go public.
She added: “I’d say it's a never-ending journey. I'd say test the water in any way that you want to. A tiny bit for me was putting a little rainbow flag in my bio on my Instagram and my social media.
“To someone that doesn't know what that means, it will mean nothing. But to people who know what it means, it means everything. So, if it could help a teenager or a kid to be like 'oh, that's a safe person to confide in' then that's one job done."
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