When Swedish rallycross driver Viktor Johansson painted a rainbow across his car, he was hoping to offer support for his LGBT friends and possibly inspire a gay driver in his sport to come out publicly.
"I wanted to support them in a simple way and show that I think they're tough. Many thought it was cool that I had pride the colors of the car," Johansson told the Swedish site Sportbladet.
Unfortunately he has experienced some backlash. He said that at competitions he has heard a bunch of grumbling about the rainbow, and Johansson claims that a sponsor has pulled out of endorsing him. While Google translation's Swedish is rusty, it seems the sponsor was an individual and not a corporation.
"He did not sponsor me any more," Johansson told Sportbladet. "I have not contacted him and asked, he is as stupid as can be."
Pretty cool that Johansson would put principle over sponsorship. If only more LGBT professional athletes would do the same.
