The hate Olympian Suni Lee is facing over her romance doesn't deserve a gold medal, but her speaking up certainly does.
In December, the world-famous gymnast, who took home a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, confirmed her relationship with University of Southern California football player Jaylin Smith, but according to a comment she recently left on TikTok, the response to her romance has not been entirely rosy.
"I know that Sunisa will be judged by certain eyes in the Hmong Community because her man is Black," a fan captioned a TikTok tribute to the couple, referencing the indigenous people she descends from. "LOVE is LOVE, no matter what race or gender you are. Keep doing you QUEEN." Lee is the first Hmong American to make the U.S. Olympic team and the first to be a gold medalist.
The TikTok video has since amassed more than 60,000 likes and over one thousand comments, including one from Lee herself.
"This makes me so happy," the teenager wrote. "I've received so much hate they support me when it's beneficial for them never when it comes to my happiness. thank you!"
Over on the gymnast's Instagram page, however, there's been no shortage of supportive comments for the pair after Lee shared the first photo of them as a couple. "Congrats! Go for what makes you happy," one fan wrote. "There's no one's happiness that matters more than your own. Keep that flame burning and let no one blow it out."
"Cute couple," another fan commented. "Love is love and don't ever let anyone tell you differently or make you feel differently."