A rnerback who spent four preasons wh three NFL teams and also played NFL Europe has e out as gay, jog a small but growg number of former athlet who are publicly acknowledgg they are gays or lbians.
Contents:
- THIS GAY FORMER NFL PLAYER IS USG HIS PRIVILEGE TO FIGHT HOMOPHOBIA
- WA DAVIS GAY: EX-NFL PLAYER CONFIRMS HOMOSEXUALY
- WA DAVIS TALKS FOR THE FIRST TIME ABOUT BEG GAY THE NFL, WORKG WH LGBTQ YOUTH
THIS GAY FORMER NFL PLAYER IS USG HIS PRIVILEGE TO FIGHT HOMOPHOBIA
Wa Davis, a former NFL player, has announced he is gay a Tuday article. Although Davis no longer plays, he now works wh lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr youth at the Hetrick-Mart Instute. * wade davis gay *
At one pot, while watchg film wh his team, he remembers worryg his team would realize he was gay. And I don't want to downplay , but felt different om Michael Sam [who, 2014, was the first openly gay athlete to be drafted by the NFL].
It felt different om Jason Colls [who me out 2013, makg him the first openly gay active athlete the NBA]. And I thk that that difference that is really hard to articulate is what feels like or is what means when gay men have reached a certa level of of acceptance the public sphere. So I still thk that we have still a larger nversatn that as gay men who have lots of power, accs and privilege need to be at the foreont of ntually centerg that nversatn.
And I remember watchg film one day and everythg is rerd and I remember thkg, God, I'm walkg gay. I remember thkg I'm standg gay. And I remember thkg, God, like, I'm nng gay.
WA DAVIS GAY: EX-NFL PLAYER CONFIRMS HOMOSEXUALY
Part of the next step is for, let's say those power, owners and ach, to be much more fluent and sophistited their abily to talk about the impact that LGBTQ folks have had on them and the specific actns that they're gog to take ensurg that locker room spac, sports facili and stadiums are ls homophobic and ls sexist.
WA DAVIS TALKS FOR THE FIRST TIME ABOUT BEG GAY THE NFL, WORKG WH LGBTQ YOUTH
I thk society has to have an even more sophistited nversatn about how the root of homophobia is sexism. It creat the ndns for we to also thk of gay folks as ls than. ’s, NFL team, Davis retired 2003 due to a leg his entire profsnal sports reer, Davis rried around a heavy secret: He’s gay.
“I uld be out on the football field at practice makg a really betiful play, and then I’d go watch myself on film and thk how gay I look. He’s now the NFL’s first cln nsultant, alg wh issu like racism, sexism and homophobia sports. To celebrate LGBTQ Pri Month June, HuffPost spoke wh Davis about his journey om closeted gay athlete Ameri’s most beloved sport to ont-and-center social jtice activist.