Just a couple of weeks before COVID-19 shut down most of the world, Tom Luchsinger was enjoying a trip to Melbourne, Australia, for the International Gay & Lesbian Aquatic (IGLA) Championships.

During his trip, he went to an animal sanctuary, enjoyed a wine tour, climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge and ate at crowded restaurants.

Four months later and commemorating LGBTQ+ Pride month, Luchsinger looks back on the IGLA event with great memories and smiles.

A former U.S. National Champion in the 200 butterfly, he became interested in this year’s IGLA after having conversations about going to Melbourne in June 2019. At that time, IGLA was taking place in New York City in coordination with World Pride, and the 50^th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.

While swimming at IGLA 2019, he built some relationships with the Aussies who were involved in Melbourne 2020, and in August, he asked if I could help in any way. They brought him on as an ambassador, joining an all-star group of Emily Scott (water polo), Matthew Helm (diving) and Daniel Kowalski (swimming).

And even though he said his top swim form is “long gone,” Luchsinger continues to live a healthy and active lifestyle – swimming, lifting and biking throughout the week, so he felt like he could hold his own in Melbourne.

“I think I was in good shape, but far off my peak, as to be expected,” he said. “I was a good balance of nervous and excited to swim. I was training short course yards, and the meet was long course meters so that always brings some anxiety. But after my first event (100 fly) went well, I started to roll through my events like the good old days.”

Luchsinger said the format of the IGLA meet is set up as one of celebration as well as competition.

Although the competition is the highlight, the host cities focus a lot on community building among the LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies. There are a lot of social events, and opportunities to connect with athletes from all over the world.

An open format meet, anyone who signed up for an event competed against each other no matter their age group. Awards were given out after the event was completed and divided up by age.

“I was happy with how I swam; I ended up breaking (I think) five IGLA records and setting four Australian Open Master’s National records for the 25-29 age group,” said Luchsinger, who has been living and working from his family’s house on Eastern Long Island since mid-March. “This wasn’t something I was expecting to do, so it was a nice surprise.”

“I was really proud to participate in IGLA. Although I was publicly out in 2015 and may have seemed much more confident in my skin at the time, I was still wrestling with my identity. It took me about two years, a lot of difficult conversations, and some very bad choices for me to discover myself. Competing in swimming is so much sweeter, no matter what level. It’s the first time I’m standing up on a block and I am proud of who I am. Better late than never!”

Luchsinger said this was his first trip Down Under, and he wants to go back and see more. They stayed in Melbourne and Sydney, but the Great Barrier Reef is on his bucket list.

The fires that plagued the country in January were extinguished a few weeks before the meet started, although he admits they were a concern when he was making his trip plans.

“Given the fires, and COVID outbreaks, we were lucky to have been able to proceed forward with the meet,” he said.

The next IGLA Championships will take place in Salt Lake City in May 2021, and Hong Kong will host the Gay Games in 2022. IGLA happens every year where Gay Games does not happen, and Gay games happens every 4 years.

Luchsinger said he would love to attend both events, and since he “ages up” this year – turning the big 3-0 in February (nervous laughter) – he is looking forward to being the “young guy” in the age group.

For him, events like the IGLA and Gay Games are about more than celebrating – they are also about exposure and ultimately acceptance.

“In my opinion, if everyone in the world were to come out it would change the world,” he said. “People would recognize that LGBTQ+ people are not some group of ‘others’ who are trying to push an agenda.

“We exist all over the world and desire many of the same things as everyone else. The reason that we have events like IGLA and Pride is to show that we, as a group, exist, and we do so proudly, and openly.”

And while he said he hasn’t physically participated in any of the recent protests in New York City condemning racism and police brutality, Luchsinger said he recognizes that pride would not exist without the actions of the Black community.

“The Stonewall Riot in 1969 was started by a Black transgender woman named Marsha P. Johnson. This was one of the catalysts for the gay rights movement. Today, this riot and path to LGBTQ+ equality are celebrated every June as Pride Month.

“My rights as a member of this community depended on the actions of the Black community. So, this annual celebration of inclusion, which so many LGBTQ+ people herald as a highlight of their year, would not happen without the country’s Black population.”

Luchsinger recognizes that he is a white man who grew up with white privilege, in a sport that is predominantly white, while attending public schools where everyone looked like him. Thus, he knows he can’t speak to the challenges that many Black Americans face.

But he has spent these past few weeks reflecting on this privilege, educating himself on the systematic oppression by reading books and watching documentaries.

He is now working on changing the dialogue from “What have I done?” a question brought on by his new self-education, to “What can I do?”

“I can choose to be open to conversations about racism,” he said. “I can be cognizant of what I say and the underlying messages. And I can be open to criticism from others when I do unintentionally benefit from my privilege. Although I’m not perfect and I will make mistakes, I can try to be better.”