Tag: coming out

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English Rugby Star Keegan Hirst Comes Out As Gay

Keegan Hirst, 27 year old Rugby League player, has become the first English professional in the sport to come out.

From the Mirror:

Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Mirror, the dad of two tells of the moment he finally found the words to explain to his wife the reason they could no longer be together.

And he talks emotionally of the support he got, not only from her but also from his rugby team-mates.

The 6ft 4in captain of West ­Yorkshire side Batley Bulldogs said: “At first I couldn’t even say ‘I’m gay’ in my head, let alone out loud.

“Now I feel like I’m letting out a long breath that I’ve held in for a long time.”

Speaking for the first time about coming to terms with being gay, Keegan adds: “I had a wife and kids. I’ve been a builder, doorman, worked in factories – I play rugby.

“I tick every macho box. How could I be gay? I’m from Batley for goodness sake. No one is gay in Batley.”

And he reveals: “The only time I felt free of the torment was when I stepped on the rugby pitch. Now I feel free.”

Later, Hirst tweeted out his thanks for the strong support he’s received today:

Congrats to Keegan for living his life openly and being authentic to himself.

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Kentucky: Out High School Senior Dalton Maldonado On Being Removed From Yearbook

From the Facebook page of high school senior Dalton Maldonado.

Earlier today, after receiving many good wishes and lots of support from all over the country, I received a call from the superintendent of schools. He told me that I was in the annual fifteen times, and that they may have over looked my senior basketball picture.

He went on to say that they were going to make a new annual and he hoped I knew they were so proud of me.

However, here is the picture that should have been in the yearbook, along with the rest of the senior basketball players!

They took Outsports’ first article about my experience and swept it under the rug, as if the harassment and humiliation never happened!

I refuse to let this happen again! I was a senior point guard who had played for three years, and I was even in the center of the team picture. I don’t care if I was in other parts 100 times, my individual picture wasn’t in there!

I find it unbelievable that their “investigation” took less than one whole school day and once again they’re just letting it go!

I will not stop fighting this. No one deserves this, and I’ll make sure no other LGBT teen in Floyd Co has to face this type of discrimination!

Maldonado was the starting point guard for his high school basketball team. After he came out as gay, the school left his picture out of a two-page spread in the year book.

The school claims it was an oversight.

Riiiiiiiiight…

Good for Dalton for standing up for himself.

Read more at Outsports.

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James Corden Calls Out Kentucky High School Who

Betsy Layne High School in rural Kentucky honored the boys basketball team with a two-page spread in the school’s yearbook.

Well, almost all the team. One senior was left out of the tribute: Dalton Maldonado, the team’s starting point guard who came out publicly as gay a couple months ago.

James Corden of The Late Late Show took on the scandal last night during his opening:

“He’s a gay basketball player. Or as I like to call him, ‘a basketball player.’ Because there’s no such thing as gay basketball.”

“If you’re a homophobic school, you do not call yourself Betsy Layne High. Betsy Layne sounds like a girl who would LOVE a gay friend”

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Tonight On HBO: “Back On Board – Greg Louganis”

Do not miss “Back on Board: Greg Louganis,” a documentary following the life of openly gay and HIV-positive Olympian Greg Louganis, on HBO tonight at 10PM.

Only 28-years-old when he was first diagnosed with HIV, Louganis was one of the first openly gay men in sports. The documentary chronicles the four-time Olympic gold medalist’s life since becoming a household name in the 1980s.

“I didn’t feel welcomed in diving,” Louganis, now 55 years old, says in the trailer. “There was homophobia. Some of my teammates were calling my fag.”

Louganis’s decision to live openly and authentically paved the way for several other gay and lesbian athletes, such as Michael Sam, Jason Collins, Robbie Rogers, Brittney Griner, Orlando Cruz, Megan Rapinoe, Lori Lindsey and Tom Daley.

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Pro-Wrestler “Money” Matt Cage Comes Out In Facebook Post

Pro wrestler Matt Hullum, (performs under the stage name “Money” Matt Cage), has come out as gay in a Facebook post titled “Here goes nothing.”

At this writing the post has received over 355 Likes and over 140 comments – the vast majority of which are supportive.

One of the biggest fears in my life has been rejection. I’m not sure why. I was never the most popular kid in school or in my neighborhood, but I always had a plethora of friends in many different cliques. I was never really rejected by anyone that I hung out with in one clique for hanging out with people in another, yet I always feared being rejected. But as I’ve grown older and continued down the road of adulthood, I have discovered that I truly don’t care as much about rejection anymore. And I why should I? My friends will like me for me, flaws and all. My family will love me for me. My peers will respect me for my work. And complete strangers can think whatever they want, because they’re strangers and they don’t know me.

That being said, it makes it much easier to post here publicly that I’m gay.

For the longest time, I claimed that I was bisexual. When I privately came out to people that already know, I told them that this was the case. And it was. However, I have no real intentions of pursuing females at this stage of my life. I still find beautiful women beautiful. I don’t think that’ll ever change. But I think that to continue to claim something that’s not true is just continuing a streak dishonesty and I don’t want that. Sorry, ladies. I’m officially pulling myself off of the market. Don’t hate me too bad.

To many of my closest friends, they’ve known since the tail end of 2013 when I began the process of telling the people who I felt should know. Some of them “knew” for much longer due to their own assumptions or beliefs. My parents know and they support me. That should be enough, honestly. But still, the speculation that comes from one’s private life always seems to make it’s way into the professional atmosphere and that’s unfair to me. I truly have nothing to hide anymore. I spent the majority of my life lying, hiding and depressed because I felt like I couldn’t truly be who I wanted to be and live freely as I saw fit. I had to act and that’s not me. I, nor anyone else, should have to do that.

Read the full post at the link.

As mentioned, the vast majority of the comments (including those from fellow pro-wrestlers) have been positive.

Here’s just a few:

  • Major props to you my friend. Takes a lot of courage to even post what you did. Glad we got to hang out a bit when I was out there. Your a hell of a guy and wrestler brother. Glad to have you as a peer and co worker. Keep killing it out there homie. Hopefully see ya soon!
  • I’m ridiculously proud to work with you and respect you beyond any length of the imagination. Keep being you and doing amazing things. Super love you dude.
  • Congratulations on being free to fully express yourself publicly, even if it’s just a small part of who you are as a person. If anything, people should respect you more for having the courage to come out. It also might help some kids struggling with their feelings, who look up to you and cheer for you in the ring, to feel like they could be safe to do the same.
  • Big ups to you man I don’t know you personally but I’m a fan of your work and would like to work you one day. That being said glad that your happy man and continue to be that way. You being yourself is hard to do these days
  • I’ve been a fan of yours for awhile now. Your work in the ring is flawless! Outside of the ring you are one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met and had the privilege to consider my friend. I am so proud of you and you are without a doubt one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. Love ya Cage!
  • Good for you Matt Cage. If anyone of the boys has an issue then they’re not one of the boys. I’ve never gotten the chance to work with you unfortunately but we’re a big family. That’s really what professional wrestling is. Proud of you brother.
  • I respected the hell out of you before, and i respect the hell out of you now. Still mad i never got the chance to kick you in the face. Being true to yourself is the purest form of living. Im proud of you. I hope all is well.

(via Outsports)

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Indiana: South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg Comes Out

(photo via South Bend Tribune)

In advance of the impending ruling from SCOTUS on marriage equality and the aftermath of Indiana’s disastrous “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” debacle, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg pens an essay for the South Bend Tribune in which he makes the decision to come out.

“I was well into adulthood before I was prepared to acknowledge the simple fact that I am gay. It took years of struggle and growth for me to recognize that it’s just a fact of life, like having brown hair, and part of who I am.

“Putting something this personal on the pages of a newspaper does not come easy. We Midwesterners are instinctively private to begin with, and I’m not used to viewing this as anyone else’s business.

“But it’s clear to me that at a moment like this, being more open about it could do some good. For a local student struggling with her sexuality, it might be helpful for an openly gay mayor to send the message that her community will always have a place for her.

“And for a conservative resident from a different generation, whose unease with social change is partly rooted in the impression that he doesn’t know anyone gay, perhaps a familiar face can be a reminder that we’re all in this together as a community.”

Buttigieg closes with the hope that someday his children will wonder why a mayor coming out would ever be newsworthy.

Having been elected mayor of South Bend at the age of 30, and serving in Afghanistan with the US Navy Reserves, I think Buttigieg sounds like a great example to folks in the Midwest that gays are not only people they know, but folks who set a great example.

(h/t JMG)

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Tweet Of The Day: Maxwell Barrett, Class of 2015

Graduating senior Maxwell Barrett of Raritan High School in Hazlet, New Jersey says he wanted to come out “with a bang.”

Check out his senior quote printed in his school’s 2015 yearbook.

“Of course I dress well, I didn’t spend all that time in the closet for nothing.”

Barrett said he was “out” as gay to most of his friend, although he had never officially told his parents because he could tell they already had a clue.

“It was just more of a confirmation to [my parents] than a coming-out story,” he said.

“[My parents] said it was the best one in the yearbook and that they were proud of me,” Barrett said.

(source)

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Andrew Christian Underwear Models Share Their Coming Out Stories For Pride Month

The hunky men Andrew Christian underwear models share their coming out stories in celebration of Pride Month.

Not your usual AC video.

And yeah, the views aren’t so bad, either.

From AndrewChristian.com:

For this year, we decided to share our own stories of how we came to have so much Pride. The road may not always be easy but it is always worth while to come out, be free, and find the love in the world.

Hopefully by sharing our stories we are able to further inspire others and continue to help, as the song says, change the world.

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New Jersey: High School Wrestling Champ Comes Out During College Recruitment

New Jersey state wrestling champion Alec Donovan

Outsports chronicles the coming out of Alec Donovan, New Jersey state wrestling champion, who is now a top college wrestling recruit.

It was on a recruiting trip to Limestone College in South Carolina that Alec Donovan finally answered “the question.” Donovan had just won the New Jersey high school state championship in the 145-pound division of the NJSIAA/Rothman Institute Wrestling Championships. Along with him on the recruiting trip was another New Jersey wrestler who had placed in the state tournament.

“Rumor is you’re bisexual,” the other recruit said to him. “Is it true?”

It had been a long journey for Donovan, once fraught with fear, depression and suicidal thoughts since realizing he was gay as a high school freshman. Now a senior approaching graduation, he had climbed out of the abyss all the way to a state title and a peace of mind. There were a select few close to him who knew his secret, but he had never shared it with other top wrestlers.

“The rumor isn’t true,” Donovan told the other recruit. “I’m not bisexual… I’m gay.”

Be sure to read the full account over at Outsports.

By this fall’s 2015-16 collegiate season, Alec will most probably be the first openly gay NCAA wrestler.

Alec’s journey took him from considering suicide to being a part of a high school program that tackles intimidation and bullying.

Bravo.