Gay sports reporter Israel Gutierrez speaks about Tyson Fury homophobia

Gay ESPN reporter Israel Gutierrez has opened up about dealing with the attention lavished on anti-LGBT boxing champion Tyson Fury.

Gutierrez, an ESPN sports reporter who came out as gay in 2015, spoke out ahead of Tyson Fury’s much-publicised boxing match against Tom Schwarz.

During an appearance on sports panel show Around The Horn, Gutierrez referenced Fury’s previous claim that homosexuality and paedophilia will bring about the apocalypse.

ESPN’s Israel Gutierrez: Watching Tyson Fury makes me feel like I don’t matter

The reporter said: “I just wanted to let you guys know what it feels like to watch Tyson Fury, a man who has been very open about his beliefs, including the fact that homosexuality and the acceptance of it is a sign the world is ending.

“It makes me feel like I don’t matter. It makes me feel like my friends don’t matter. It makes me feel like my partner doesn’t matter.

Israel Gutierrez on ESPN’s Around the Horn

“It takes me right back to my teenage years and childhood, when I looked around and thought that everybody was looking down on me, thinking that I’m lesser-than, just because of this way I was born.”

He added: “But I’m still going to watch, and I hope that it strengthens me.

ICYMI: In the midst of #PrideMonth, @IzGutierrez used his FaceTime today to deliver a powerful message about how watching Tyson Fury makes him feel… pic.twitter.com/1R81ThKZJY

— Around The Horn (@AroundtheHorn) June 14, 2019