Each of Ameri’s big 5 sports currently has an out gay man the pros. That’s never happened - Outsports

gay sportsmen comes out

Out Magaze on gay fns and sports. Read about the openly gay athlet who are breakg barriers profsnal sports.

Contents:

EACH OF AMERI’S BIG 5 SPORTS CURRENTLY HAS AN OUT GAY MAN THE PROS. THAT’S NEVER HAPPENED

Pro football Zanr Murray, swimmer Dan Jervis and football referee Lloyd Wilson all me out as gay 2022, a year that saw a number of other male athlet do the same. The months sce, for them, have been revelatory. * gay sportsmen comes out *

But not for Murray -- the prospect of beg jt the third male, openly gay, active profsnal footballer the world ma an already dntg suatn that more he stared to the btlg night, he thought about what had happened earlier that day. Play0:48How a sgle photo nvced Zanr Murray to e outSttish footballer Zanr Murray says a photo taken at his first Pri event changed his like that, he had filled the 28-year void of gay, male reprentatn Sttish football -- ntug the legacy of Jt Fashanu, who me out 1990 and left Hearts of Midlothian 1994. Fashanu died by suici 1998, and wasn't until Jake Daniels and Murray me out 2022 that the UK had another openly gay male took years of self-acceptance for Murray to get to this pot, and he says not beg out st him the chance to better his football reer.

"I had opportuni to play higher [ the Sttish divisns], the one reason I didn't was bee I was gay, " he ntued. '"But then got to a pot where [I thought], 'you know what, I don't re if anyone se me wh my gay pals' -- and that's amazg.

"Wh a weight off his cht, Murray add that g out was 'the bt thg' he'd ever done, and that sentiment was echoed by Sttish Football Associatn referee Lloyd Wilson, who me out as gay June 2022. New rearch released by Stonewall October last year found the proportn of fans who thk homophobic remarks sport are acceptable has almost halved -- droppg om 25% 2017 to 14% makg clear he never took part homophobic abe, Wilson rells engagg 'homophobic banter' his younger years. He is simply a referee, not 'the gay referee, ' he still works for everythg he earns, and has not changed the way he functns the profsnal environment.

KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

For the first time, pro baseball, basketball, football, hockey and soccer has an out gay male player unr ntract. * gay sportsmen comes out *

Play0:57Swimmer Daniel Jervis spired by Jake Daniels' cisn to e outBrish swimmer Daniel Jervis talks about what motivated him to e out as gay. A swimmer who reprented Great Bra at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Jervis announced he is gay last June -- a month before he was due to pete the 2022 Commonwealth Gam (he was unable to as he'd ntracted COVID-19) the world me to a standstill durg the panmic, Jervis knew he uld not pe acceptg his tth any longer. One day I'd be like, 'no I'm not [gay], what am I dog' and the next day I'd be like, 'I absolutely am.

"Jervis says he, the past, msaged gay athlet like diver Tom Daley and footballer Jake Daniels, sayg thank you. Atralian A-League soccer star Josh Cavallo me out as gay an October vio posted to his social media, beg hailed as the first current male top-flight profsnal soccer player to publicly do so.

JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

Kev Maxen has bee the first male ach a US men’s profsnal sports league to e out as gay. * gay sportsmen comes out *

"He ntued: "Growg up I always felt the need to hi myself, you know, bee I was ashamed, and ashamed I'll never be able to do what I love and be gay.

In a September terview wh USA Today, 25-year-old mor league baseball player beme the only active baseball profsnal to be out as gay! Natnal Hockey League prospect Le Prokop me out as gay July, the first active player the league to e out.

"I am proud to publicly tell everyone that I am gay, " he wrote a heartfelt msage on social media. The 28-year-old Natnal Football League player and Rairs fensive leman ma history when he me out as gay on Instagram durg Pri Month, beg the first veteran NFL player to e out as gay while signed to a regular-season ntract.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

* gay sportsmen comes out *

The Bachelor star and former football player (who was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted ee agent and was on the practice squad of the Oakland Rairs and the Philalphia Eagl) me out as gay April, sayg he had fally e to terms wh his sexualy and the "next step all of this was sort of lettg people know. "He wanted everyone to know he was "still the same Colton everybody met on TV" and is "proud to be gay.

Hiltz had prevly e out as gay while llege and has been a visible and affirmg prence for gay athlet the past. Corey Walsh, the 27-year-old pro BMX rir and Vans spokperson, said he isn't normally the type of person to "let people " on his personal life, but felt was important to e out as gay a March Instagram post bee "there are a lot of people still stgglg wh the same suatns" and he "jt wanted to let people know that they are not alone. Champn long track speedskater Conor McDermott-Mostowy never hid beg gay om his fay, iends, and fellow athlet, but he also wasn't one to rate his locker wh rabow Pri flags eher.

He ially feared negative stereotyp about gay male athlet but threw those ncerns asi after his two-tle performance at the U. Four athlet om the Uned Stat jo Canadian Prokop breakg down barriers for gay and bisexual athlet big-time sports.

WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS

Jacksonville Jaguars associate strength ach Kev Maxen has e out as gay. His announcement is a first for a male ach a major U.S.-based profsnal league. * gay sportsmen comes out *

In addn, there have been out gay athlet like Andrew Goldste playg other sports like lacrosse. Prokop lled the ont office of the Nashville Predators to let them know he’s gay, then wh their support he me out to the world. Kev Maxen has bee the first male ach a US men’s profsnal sports league to e out as gay.

Per Outsports, as of September 2022, there have only ever been 16 players NFL history to publicly e out as gay or bisexual.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY

Two athlet recently g out has highlighted the arth of openly gay players the world of U.S. men's profsnal sports, often dubbed "the last closet" for s lack of LGBTQ reprentatn. * gay sportsmen comes out *

Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player league history to announce that he is gay 2021. Per Outsports, Maxen is the “first publicly out male ach a major Amerin men’s pro sports league, ” wh WNBA ach Curt Miller, who publicly me out to the media as gay 2015, also a publicly out male ach an Amerin profsnal sports league.

JAGUARS ACH KEV MAXEN RECEIV OVERWHELMG SUPPORT AFTER G OUT AS GAY

Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib publicly me out June 2021, makg him the first openly gay man to actively play the NFL. * gay sportsmen comes out *

The star of the specialized sport of swg wrtlg is Swzerland's only openly gay profsnal athlete.

Chilean basketball player Daniel Ars revealed he was gay an emotnal letter posted to Instagram and clared he was ready to live "proud and ee. Sebastian Vega ma history as the first out gay profsnal basketball player Argenta's history.

ATHLET WHO ARE GAY

Thanks to the proment athlet who are gay, the sports world is beg more and more acceptg of homosexual players. Whether the famo Olympians, ... * gay sportsmen comes out *

" He revealed he was gay to a few iends, then his fay, and then others over a few years.

Havg suffered homophobic jok while growg up as a rult of playg the sport, he was a b harned to any negative receptn onle. "I feel sorry for people like that who are close-md and still thk 's offensive to be lled gay -- bee 's not.

JAKE DANIELS BE FIRST UK MALE FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY SCE 1990

When Swiss profsnal volleyball player Dennis Del Valle revealed he was gay this year, the Puerto Rin native thought he was dog for himself. When ternatnal soccer start Beattie me out as gay, he was only the third man Brish profsnal sports to do so.

Robbie Rogers, Tom Daley, Michael Sam, Gareth Thomas -- the athlet are pavg new ground the world of sports as openly gay, out-and-proud players.

COMG OUT: STILL A HURDLE TOO HIGH FOR MANY GAY SPORTS STARS?

At both the llegiate and profsnal level, sports have historilly been the last ontier for LGBT acceptance, and homophobia still ns rampant locker rooms and on playg fields across the Uned Stat and Europe. Gay athlet and anti-bullyg activists like Ben Cohen, former pro English gby player, are fightg to change the game and create more clive spac for LGBT players everywhere.

-- Jaguars assistant strength and ndng ach Kev Maxen has bee the first male ach major Amerin men's profsnal sports to publicly e out as gay, tellg he ma the cisn bee he didn't want to hi who he is any longer and to possibly spire others siar 's a cisn and move that drew praise and support om owner Shad Khan, who was a vol and emphatic supporter of a cy ordance that expand protectns on the grounds of sexual orientatn, genr inty and genr exprsn. Outsi lebacker Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player to e out as gay and to play a game 2021.

A rerd number of out LGBTQ players make this year’s tournament a feast for gay fans. Prokop seems closer than ever to beg the first out gay player on an NHL or AHL roster.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY SPORTSMEN COMES OUT

Zanr Murray, Lloyd Wilson & Dan Jervis -- three gay sportsmen on the joy of g out - ESPN .

TOP