For Canadian volleyball player Lui, Pride month represents chance to inspire younger generation

CBC Sports

· Posted: Jun 04, 2025 8:33 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

When Justin Lui came retired arsenic cheery to his Stanford University volleyball teammates successful 2020, helium remembers feeling 2 precise beardown emotions: anxiousness and relief.

Lui was successful his sophomore year, socially distancing from his teammates owed to the COVID-19 pandemic, erstwhile helium decided to stock his information connected a squad email thread.

"I retrieve penning the email, sending it, feeling this similar a suspiration of relief, but besides an anxiousness astir however radical respond and consciousness astir it," helium told CBC Sports. "Then I went instantly outside, and I went for a locomotion … I conscionable walked astir my neighborhood, and past came back, and that's erstwhile I saw a clump of messages."

Lui, a Libero — oregon antiaircraft specializer — for the Canadian elder men's nationalist volleyball team, said helium was rapidly met with messages of support, love, and encouragement for his bravery.

The benefits of Lui's vulnerability rapidly transcended into his performance, and experience, connected the court, propelling him into becoming some a stronger volleyball subordinate connected the court, and a amended teammate.

"I felt much assured connected the court. Volleyball is simply a ace interpersonal sport, and truthful erstwhile I was capable to travel retired and attack my teammates present arsenic this authentic, genuine self," said the Pickering, Ont., native. "I deliberation we're capable to physique amended chemistry."

As for the advancement successful sport, Lui feels a taste displacement happening into a overmuch much inclusive abstraction for the LGBQT community. 

"I'm getting messages from younger athletes saying they consciousness comfy coming retired and they privation to speech to maine astir their process of coming out. Things similar that, to maine erstwhile I was younger, seemed truthful foreign," helium said. "I deliberation it's conscionable becoming much mean for radical to spot radical who are LGBTQ successful sports and who are apical athletes." 

WATCH: Lui recalls however helium told his teammates: 

A affirmative Olympic experience 

This feeling carried him into his Olympic debut astatine the Paris 2024 Games wherever helium represented Canada successful men's volleyball. 

"After we qualified successful 2023, and heading into 2024, It was betwixt maine and different libero who were competing for the spot, " helium said. "I deliberation successful the past, that unit would person been a batch for maine and made maine worse, but I deliberation successful this case, it was capable to marque maine better." 

Lui adds that having gone done adversity anterior to this had made him stronger, and capable to instrumentality the unit disconnected himself. 

Despite the squad finishing 0-3 successful the tourney and 10th successful the world, Lui says the acquisition was "amazing." 

"When I was successful Paris, I told myself, you conscionable privation to person fun, bask yourself, play the champion you can, not putting excessively overmuch anticipation connected yourself," helium said. "And I wouldn't beryllium capable to springiness myself that self-talk if I hadn't travel retired previously."

Making his people for Pride month

While Lui apt won't beryllium capable to observe Pride successful Toronto this year, arsenic he'll beryllium connected the roadworthy with Team Canada for the 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL), he's creating his ain mode for radical to celebrate. 

For the past fewer years, Lui and his household person distributed t-shirts to his adjacent household and friends to deterioration successful enactment of him astatine VNL. 

This year, to wed the excitement of some the VNL starting connected June 11, and Pride month, he's selling customized Pride themed t-shirts and hoodies done CanuckStuff, a Canadian merchandise brand. 

"The silhouette is maine diving for a shot and past a rainbow maple leaf. That's a portion of what radical tin bash to support," helium said.  "For me, they look cool, and hopefully household and friends volition bask them and deterioration them."