Photos: Openly gay athlet | CNN

the first openly gay male athlete

Major-league baseball player Glenn Burke was fortably out to his teammat and iends 1976—but back then, was the prs that wasn't ready for a gay male athlete.

Contents:

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE COACH TO COME OUT AS GAY MAJOR U.S. SPORTS

Jacksonville Jaguars ach Kev Maxen, who joed the team last year, me out publicly as gay an terview wh Outsports published on Thursday, beg the first ach a U.S. men’s profsnal league to do so" emprop="scriptn * the first openly gay male athlete *

The NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars strength ach, Kev Maxen, has e out as gay — makg him the first male ach a U.

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

Jaguars assistant Kev Maxen has bee the first male ach major Amerin men's pro sports to publicly e out as gay, tellg he ma the cisn bee he didn't want to hi who he is any longer. * the first openly gay male athlete *

While Maxen is believed to be the first male ach to have e out publicly as gay, there have been a few female ach U.

When to players, there have only been 16 the history of the NFL to e out as gay or bisexual as of September 2022, per Outsports. Maxen origally ntacted gay NFL player Carl Nassib Febary 2022, who then nnected Maxen wh Outsports.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS’ KEV MAXEN COM OUT AS FIRST OPENLY GAY MALE COACH THE NFL

Kev Maxen, assistant strength and ndng ach for the Jaguars, has e out as the first openly gay male ach the NFL.   * the first openly gay male athlete *

-- 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 Associated Prs ntributed to this report.

KEV MAXEN BE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY MALE COACH THE NFL

Jacksonville Jaguars assistant strength and ndng ach Kev Maxen has publicly e out as gay, makg him the first openly gay male ach the NFL and all of… * the first openly gay male athlete *

Kev Maxen, assistant strength and ndng ach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, has e out as the first openly gay male ach the NFL.

Key pots:Kev Maxen, an assistant strength and ndng ach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, has publicly e out as is the first known openly gay male ach the NFL and all of Amerin men’s profsnal hop that by g out, he n live openly and thentilly whout fear of judgement. Jacksonville Jaguars assistant strength and ndng ach Kev Maxen has publicly e out as gay, makg him the first openly gay male ach the NFL and all of Amerin men’s profsnal sports. He jos a growg number of NFL figur who have e out as gay, cludg Tampa Bay Bucneers fensive end Carl Nassib and former San Francis 49ers assistant Katie Sowers.

Kev Maxen, an associate strength ach for the Jacksonville Jaguars football team, me out as gay on Thursday an terview wh the LGBTQ sports-foced webse Outsports. In 2014, Michael Sam was the first out gay player to be drafted when he was selected by the then-St. On the achg si, several female assistant ach the NFL have prevly e out as gay, cludg former San Francis 49ers assistant ach Katie Sowers, there has prevly been no known out gay male head or assistant ach the league.

KEV MAXEN BE FIRST GAY MALE NFL COACH

Kev Maxen, a strength ach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, has e out, beg the first openly gay male ach men's U.S. profsnal sports. * the first openly gay male athlete *

Curt Miller, who is currently the head ach of the Los Angel Sparks, is the first out gay male ach the WNBA, but there have been no out gay ach any of the four major men’s U. Major-league baseball player Glenn Burke was fortably out to his teammat and iends 1976—but back then, was the prs that wasn't ready for a gay male / LMA few months back, the Baltimore Ravens' Brendon Ayanbajo, an outspoken advote for LGBT rights, told USA Today that he thought the first player the three major sports to out himself would be a baseball player: "The relig roots are a lot eper basketball and football. This week's g out by NBA player Jason Colls is momento, but the Jackie Robson of gay rights was Glenn Burke, who played for the Los Angel Dodgers and Oakland A's om 1976 to 1979.

ACTUALLY, JASON COLLS ISN'T THE FIRST OPENLY GAY MAN A MAJOR PRO SPORT

* the first openly gay male athlete *

Even his superb tobgraphy, Out at Home, which published the year he died, failed to stir open nversatn about homosexualy sports. Practilly no one the sports-wrg muny would acknowledge that Burke was gay or report stori that followed up on his told People magaze while promotg his book 1995, "My missn as a gay ballplayer was the breakg of a stereotype...

"And yet Burke is remembered ls today as a pneer for gay rights and more as the man who, along wh Dty Baker, vented the "high five.

Whout immediate and open statements om league officials, gay athlet will fear cheap shots om opponents, beg shunned by teammat, and beg trad or even cut by their teams.

JAGUARS’ KEV MAXEN IS FIRST MALE ACH TO E OUT AS GAY US MEN’S PRO SPORTS

Jacksonville Jaguars associate strength ach Kev Maxen is believed to be the first openly gay male ach major North Amerin men's sports after g out publicly an terview wh Outsports. * the first openly gay male athlete *

Jacksonville Jaguars associate strength ach Kev Maxen is believed to be the first openly gay male ach major North Amerin men's sports after g out publicly an terview wh Outsports.

FIRST GAY OLYMPIAN HISTORY PETED 1928

Eric Bach is an openly gay broadster for the Frericksburg Natnals. He has major league aspiratns, but his path has been much lonelier than he would prefer. * the first openly gay male athlete *

”Maxen is believed to be the first openly gay male ach the NFL and all of major Amerin men's pro sports, acrdg to Outsports. " San Francis 49ers assistant Katie Sowers, a pneer among female ach the NFL, me out as the the league's first openly gay ach 2017, acrdg to Outsports.

He add that he reached out last year for advice on g out om former Las Vegas Rairs lebacker Carl Nassib, who beme the first active openly gay player NFL history 2021.

ADAM RIPPON IS U.S.'S FIRST OPENLY GAY MAN TO QUALIFY FOR WTER OLYMPICS

The Uned Stat has never sent an openly gay male athlete to the Wter Olympics. In Pyeongchang this year, Team USA may have two. * the first openly gay male athlete *

Peltzer was arrted for his homosexualy 1934 and later imprisoned, makg impossible for him to tra for the Berl Olympics.

His ath 1989 mak him the send LGBT Olympian to die of AIDS-related , the first was Tom Wadll, founr of the Gay Gam, 1987. In the 1980s and 1990s the fear of the homophobic backlash that followed the emergence of HIV effected many LGBT athlet. This homophobia is still felt many sports, which is one reason why fewer male athlet have e out than female.

McCoy for The New York TimHis Sexualy Don’t Defe Him, but It Can Set Him ApartEric Bach is an openly gay broadster for the Frericksburg Natnals. Three years earlier, while he was studyg journalism at Michigan State Universy, he had publicly e out as gay an say he wrote for the time of the say, he braced for a backlash, but nothg materialized. He worked his way up om ternships to full-time broadstg jobs, and while anyone wh an ter nnectn uld learn he was gay, nobody asked, and he did not say so aga publicly.

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, ... * the first openly gay male athlete *

It was paful at the time — the worst thg that had happened to him as a gay man, he said — but has reced far enough to his memory that did not e to md an hourlong terview about his experienc as a gay broadster. As far as Bach knows — and as far as many of his unterparts wh other teams are aware — there are no other openly gay broadsters the sport.

CARL NASSIB, THE FIRST OPENLY GAY N.F.L. PLAYER, HAS BEEN A FOOTBALL EVERYMAN

Photos of athlet who have e out publicly as gay. * the first openly gay male athlete *

McCoy for The New York TimBorn to BroadstLong before he knew he was gay, Bach knew he wanted to be a sports father was a ach, and a love of sports ran through the fay.

”)He began to accept that he was gay durg his sophomore year of high school, but wh that acceptance me worry. As a multisport athlete, Bach was often locker rooms filled wh chos of homophobic slurs and gay jok.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF OPENLY GAY OLYMPIANS

’”By the start of his sophomore year at Michigan State, Bach was ready to tell his parents that he was gay, tchg his father off guard but nfirmg what his mother had prevly assumed. He did each job to the bt of his abily, and his sexualy never me, he has found that there’s a difference between beg a gay man baseball and beg pletely fortable as one. That uncertaty mak him feel self-nsc a way he believ is mon for gay people mostly straight spac.

“I feel like that’s the burn a lot of gay people live wh — tryg to be perfect for straight people, ” he job requir equent teractn wh the players and the achg staff — addn to his duti as play-by-play announcer, Bach also is the ma public relatns ntact for the team — and he said he hadn’t fully relaxed any of them. The environment is not hostile, but Bach never fets that he is the only openly gay person the room.

GIANT MURAL ON NORWICH PUB HONOURS JT FASHANU, ENGLAND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLER

Mrer/Frericksburg NatnalsThat feelg is somewhat “self-flicted, ” Bach said, but he believ the solutn is to brg more openly gay people to sports and create a safe environment for those who are already there but have felt necsary to hi their League Baseball has touted self as a place of clivy.

OPENLY GAY ATHLET

Billy Bean, an openly gay former player, was named the league’s first ambassador for cln 2014 and has sce been promoted to senr vice print and special assistant to Commissner Rob Maned. In Febary, Anrson Comás, a mor leaguer the Chigo Whe Sox anizatn, me out as gay wh a post on Instagram, and the announcement was met wh public support om his club and some people around the cints suggt there is more work to be done. The Boston Red Sox lled up a mor leaguer, Matt Dermody, who had posted an anti-gay msage on Twter 2021, and Anthony Bass, a reliever for the Toronto Blue Jays, reposted a vio on social media that lled for boytts of L.

“Those of that are this very small mory sports have to keep on havg the nversatns, keep on workg really ick’ hard to earn your spot this space, ” he aspir to be a gay person at home a big-league booth.

McCoy for The New York TimA versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 27 of the New York edn wh the headle: A Gay Broadster Climbs the Ladr, But It’s Been Lonely.

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

Adam Rippon, a 28-year-old figure skater, will be the first openly gay man to pete for the Uned Stat the Wter Olympics. A third gay athlete, luger John Fennell, had also been vyg for a spot on Team USA, but a sled malfunctn slashed his chance at qualifyg December.

Hasn't sent an openly gay man to the Summer Olympics 14 years — sce equtrians Robert Dover and Guenter Seil peted 2004. In 1976, Wadll and his partner Charl Deaton are the first gay men to be featured the "Coupl" sectn of People magaze. Kg is currently preparg to lnch her own Billie Jean Foundatn that will support gay and lbian youths.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* THE FIRST OPENLY GAY MALE ATHLETE

Actually, Jason Colls Isn't the First Openly Gay Man a Major Pro Sport - The Atlantic</tle><meta name="scriptn" ntent="Major-league baseball player Glenn Burke was fortably out to his teammat and iends 1976&mdash;but back then, was the prs that wasn't ready for a gay male athlete."/><meta property="kx:tle" ntent="Actually, Jason Colls Isn't the First Openly Gay Man a Major Pro Sport - The Atlantic"/><meta property="kx:scriptn" ntent="Major-league baseball player Glenn Burke was fortably out to his teammat and iends 1976&mdash;but back then, was the prs that wasn't ready for a gay male athlete."/><lk rel="nonil" href="><lk rel="image_src" href="><meta name="thor" ntent="Allen Barra"/><lk rel="ia:markup_url" href="><meta property="article:publisher" ntent="><meta property="article:opn" ntent="false"/><meta property="article:ntent_tier" ntent="metered"/><meta property="article:tag" ntent="culture"/><meta property="article:sectn" ntent="Culture"/><meta property="article:published_time" ntent="2013-05-02T20:06:48Z"/><meta property="article:modified_time" ntent="2013-05-03T14:04:14Z"/><meta name="robots" ntent="x, follow, max-image-preview:large"/><meta property="og:tle" ntent="Actually, Jason Colls Isn't the First Openly Gay Man a Major Pro Sport"/><meta property="og:scriptn" ntent="Major-league baseball player Glenn Burke was fortably out to his teammat and iends 1976&mdash;but back then, was the prs that wasn't ready for a gay male athlete."/><meta property="og:url" ntent="><meta property="og:type" ntent="article"/><meta property="og:image"/><meta property="twter:rd" ntent="summary_large_image"/><lk rel="alternate" type="applitn/rss+xml" tle="The Atlantic" href="/feed/all/"/><lk rel="alternate" type="applitn/rss+xml" tle="Bt of The Atlantic" href="/feed/bt-of/"/><meta name="referrer" ntent="unsafe-url"/><meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-pable" ntent="y"/><meta name="apple-mobile-web-stat-bar-style" ntent="black"/><meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-tle" ntent="The Atlantic"/><meta name="keywords" ntent="Glenn Burke, player Glenn Burke, Glenn Burke Story, baseball player, Los Angel Dodgers, gay male athlete, baseball missner Bowie, gay rights, major sports, Jason Colls" emID="#keywords"/><meta name="news_keywords" ntent="Glenn Burke, player Glenn Burke, Glenn Burke Story, baseball player, Los Angel Dodgers, gay male athlete, baseball missner Bowie, gay rights, major sports, Jason Colls"/><meta name="" ntent="culture,sports"/><meta name="" ntent="Allen Barra"/><meta name="" ntent="2013-05-02T20:06:48Z"/><lk rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href=" crossorig=""/><lk rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href=" crossorig=""/><lk rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href=" crossorig=""/><lk rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href=" crossorig=""/><lk rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href=" crossorig=""/><script type="applitn/ld+json">{"@ntext":","@type":"NewsArticle","headle":"Actually, Jason Colls Isn't the First Openly Gay Man a Major Pro Sport","alternativeHeadle":"Actually, Jason Colls Isn't the First Openly Gay Man a Major Pro Sport","scriptn":"Major-league baseball player Glenn Burke was fortably out to his teammat and iends 1976&mdash;but back then, was the prs that wasn't ready for a gay male athlete.","url":","datePublished":"2013-05-02T20:06:48Z","dateModified":"2013-05-03T14:04:14Z","isAccsibleForFree":false,"hasPart":{"@type":"WebPageElement","isAccsibleForFree":false,"cssSelector":".article-ntent-body"},"publisher":{"@id":"},"maEntyOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"},"thor":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Allen Barra","sameAs":"}],"articleSectn":"Culture"}</script><meta name="next-head-unt" ntent="60"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="style"/><lk rel="stylheet" href=" data-n-g=""/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="style"/><lk rel="stylheet" href=" data-n-p=""/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="style"/><lk rel="stylheet" href=" data-n-p=""/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="style"/><lk rel="stylheet" href=" data-n-p=""/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="style"/><lk rel="stylheet" href=" data-n-p=""/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="style"/><lk rel="stylheet" href="><lk rel="preload" href=" as="style"/><lk rel="stylheet" href="><noscript data-n-css=""></noscript><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/></head><body><div id="__next"><div data-tegory="story page"><div></div><nav class="Nav_root___6bX9" aria-labelledby="se-navigatn" data-tegory="Se Nav" data-event-module="se nav" id="ma-navigatn"><div class="Nav_maNav__yofcm"><a href="#ma-ntent" class="Nav_skipLk__Evjjd">Skip to ntent</a><h2 id="se-navigatn" class="Nav_visuallyHi__AbSDF">Se Navigatn</h2><div class="Nav_flexContaer__Q3LKQ"><ul class="Nav_leftContaer__cPQgJ"><li class="Nav_navListItem__cEyWT Nav_visuallyHiOnMobile__hxCGG"><a href=" class="Nav_navLk__5SUAA"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 87.83 134" class="Nav_bigA__XvGGC"><tle>The Atlantic .

TOP