Mnota Uned's Coll Mart out as gay - ESPN

Contents:

• COLL MART IS U.S. SOCCER'S ONLY OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER, AND HE'S WORKG TO MAKE THE GAME MORE CLIVE FOR FUTURE LGBTQ+ PLAYERS
• MNOTA UNED PLAYER COLL MART OUT PUBLICLY THAT HE'S GAY
• MLS PLAYER MART TO CELEBRATE 'OPENLY GAY' INTY ON MNOTA UNED PRI NIGHT
• MNOTA UNED'S COLL MART ANNOUNC HE'S GAY BEFORE TEAM PRI NIGHT
• COLL MART, MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER PLAYER, SAYS, 'I'M GAY'
• MNOTA UNED'S COLL MART PUBLICLY OUT AS GAY AHEAD OF PRI MATCH
• MNOTA MIDFIELR MART OUT AS GAY
• MNOTA UNED MIDFIELR COLL MART PUBLICLY ANNOUNC HE'S GAY BEFORE TEAM'S PRI NIGHT
• MNOTA UNED'S COLL MART OUT AS GAY
• MNOTA UNED FC PLAYER COM OUT AS GAY

COLL MART IS U.S. SOCCER'S ONLY OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER, AND HE'S WORKG TO MAKE THE GAME MORE CLIVE FOR FUTURE LGBTQ+ PLAYERS

Moments earlier, an opposg player targeted Mart, an openly gay man, wh a homophobic slur, and as they gathered unr a tent at halftime, they discsed how to team was agreement: Somethg need to be done.

MNOTA UNED PLAYER COLL MART OUT PUBLICLY THAT HE'S GAY

"Flemmgs was later spend for six gam by the league, and he nied g an anti-gay slur toward Mart. "Beg able to have a posive msage e out of a really tough suatn was the silver lg, " he the only openly gay men's profsnal soccer player the Uned Stat -- and one of the few who have ever e out globally -- Mart has e to embrace the signifince of what he reprents, pecially for the LGBTQ+ muny.

Play1:48Coll Mart: Locker room support was all I needSan Diego Loyal midfielr Coll Mart says the support om his old teammat at Mnota Uned was a big help to him when he me out as gay. Around those years, havg to hi, havg to remd myself that like, 'Oh, my bt iend on the team, who jt lled another person a f----t, he isn't really homophobic, but he is jt tryg to be hurtful to that person.

"Mart is not unique that he didn't have ach who were willg to step to put an end to homophobic language when was ed. Mnota Uned midfielr Coll Mart publicly me out as gay a social media statement Friday morng, makg him the only out athlete currently playg one of the five major men’s North Amerin sports leagu. Mart, 23, is the first male athlete om any of those major leagu to say he is gay sce 2014, when Michael Sam me out ahead of the NFL draft.

MLS PLAYER MART TO CELEBRATE 'OPENLY GAY' INTY ON MNOTA UNED PRI NIGHT

Natnal team soccer player, was the first openly gay man to pete one of the top five leagu after he me out Febary 2013. About two months after Rogers me out, veteran NBA center Jason Colls announced he was gay.

MNOTA UNED'S COLL MART ANNOUNC HE'S GAY BEFORE TEAM PRI NIGHT

In baseball, a mor league player om the Milwkee Brewers’ system, David Denson, me out as gay 2015; he retired 2017.

COLL MART, MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER PLAYER, SAYS, 'I'M GAY'

One was seeg how much support there is soccer for the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer muny. “It’s taken me a while to feel fortable on the teams I’ve played on and to be pletely myself, and talk to my teammat about my [ex-]boyiend and who I’m gog on dat wh or about beg gay myself. While Mart shi away om talk of beg brave or an spiratn, he hop sharg his story will enurage younger gay athlet to know there is a space for them, jt as athlet who me out before enuraged him.

MNOTA UNED'S COLL MART PUBLICLY OUT AS GAY AHEAD OF PRI MATCH

Mart’s clost teammate, fellow midfielr Collen Warner, said he remembered gog to dner wh Mart and several of the draft picks early last season when Mart told them he was gay.

But then he was like, ‘No, serly, I’m gay, ’ ” Warner said. Mart said for some of his teammat, such as Warner, he is their first gay iend or first gay person they know. To s down to lunch wh them and have timate nversatns about what ’s like to be gay is “pricels, ” he said.

Mnota Uned midfielr Coll Mart publicly clared he is gay on Friday ahead of his team's Pri celebratns. It's an important night for me — I'll be announcg that I am an openly gay player Major League Soccer, " Mart wrote a statement shared on Twter. "I have been out as a gay man for many years to my fay and iends, and this clus my team-mat.

MNOTA MIDFIELR MART OUT AS GAY

"Today I am proud that my entire team and management of Mnota Uned know that I am gay. It's an important night for me — I'll be announcg that I am an openly gay player Major League Soccer. Mart's cisn is a big step the ntext of a sportg world that has had prec few dividuals e out as gay.

In England, meanwhile, Jt Fashanu remas the sole openly gay profsnal to play the First Divisn or Premier League.

Former Aston Villa, Stuttgart and Germany star Thomas Hzlsperger also me out as gay, albe after hangg up his boots as a player.

MNOTA UNED MIDFIELR COLL MART PUBLICLY ANNOUNC HE'S GAY BEFORE TEAM'S PRI NIGHT

Coll Mart of the Mnota Uned announced that he’s gay on the same day as his team’s annual Pri Night (Photo by Shn Clark/Getty Imag)Coll Mart, the 23-year-old midfielr who plays for the Mnota Uned soccer team, publicly announced on Friday that he’s gay. “I have been out as a gay man for many years to my fay and iends, and this clus my teammat.

Today, I’m proud that my entire team and the management of Mnota Uned know that I am gay.

MNOTA UNED'S COLL MART OUT AS GAY

June is Pri month, and I am proud to be playg for Pri, and to be playg as an out gay man. He’d been out to his fay, iends, and teammat for a year, and didn’t thk was a big al until he realized how ltle gay reprentatn there is among profsnal athlet.

MNOTA UNED FC PLAYER COM OUT AS GAY

”Mart is currently the only openly gay player the five major profsnal sports, and jt one of a few to e out while still active. Football player Michael Sam announced he was gay 2014, and was drafted by the St. Players om var profsnal sports have e out after they’ve retired, but ’s still rare for to happen while they’re still the Star Tribune, Mart said that he’s the first gay person that some of his teammat have ever known.

Sce he me out to them last year, he’s relished the chanc he’s had to talk wh them about what ’s like to be gay, and to share experienc wh them. Coll Mart, a soccer player for Mnota Uned, announced on Twter Friday that he is gay, beg the only openly gay male player any of the major North Amerin sports leagu. It's an important night for me — I'll be announcg that I am an openly gay player Major League Soccer, " the player an exclive terview wh NBC News, Mart said his teammat already knew that he was gay before he me out publicly.

”In an terview wh NBC News, Hudson Taylor, the executive director of Athlete Ally, a group that aims to end the homophobia sports, said Mart jos a select group of male profsnal athlet who me out publicly.