Here's a Powerful Story About a Gay High School Wrtler Who Came Out Durg College Recg | Complex

Contents:

• GAY HIGH SCHOOL WRTLER ME OUT TO HIS TEAM, THEN REACHED THE STATE FAL
• THIS ELE ILLOIS HIGH SCHOOL WRTLER IS PROUDLY GAY
• STEVENSON WRTLER DYLAN GEICK: 'I AM NOT ALONE' AS A GAY HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE
• NCAA’S FIRST PUBLICLY GAY WRTLER HAS HAD UPS AND DOWNS
• HERE'S A POWERFUL STORY ABOUT A GAY HIGH SCHOOL WRTLER WHO CAME OUT DURG COLLEGE RECG
• MEET OPENLY GAY WRTLER DYLAN WATSON
• GAY NEW JERSEY HIGH SCHOOL WRTLG STATE CHAMP OUT ON LLEGE RECG TRIP

GAY HIGH SCHOOL WRTLER ME OUT TO HIS TEAM, THEN REACHED THE STATE FAL

The two-year pta of the Meadowdale High School wrtlg team had heard enough of the homophobia tossed around the locker room. Certaly word had spread through the high school that one of the school’s bt athlet was gay. They were whisperg about him beg gay.

THIS ELE ILLOIS HIGH SCHOOL WRTLER IS PROUDLY GAY

Ball lled the 30 or so wrtlers together and talked wh them about beg gay, rpectg one another, and cuttg out the language the locker room that did ltle more than divi them. Ball said the e of slurs and other sensive “gay talk” was virtually elimated overnight after his nversatn wh the team. However, he ntued to hear slurs and other anti-gay language om opposg wrtlers at meets.

STEVENSON WRTLER DYLAN GEICK: 'I AM NOT ALONE' AS A GAY HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE

In addn to beg a standout athlete and team pta at his high school, he’s also the vice-print of the stunt body, print of the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, and volunteers for the lol labor unn durg electns. It was only a uple weeks after startg to date his boyiend that Stevenson High School’s gay star wrtler, Dylan Geick, cid the closet wasn’t for him.

When he me out surprised some people that this ele wrtler was gay. He was a nference nner-up as a sophomore.

“It jt so happened that all of those kids, even those who maybe had a homophobic view before were able to see past that, and are still my iends, and we are much closer even now, ” Geick told his school newspaper, The Statman. Sce that day, Geick hasn’t heard a sgle homophobic ment om his teammat.

NCAA’S FIRST PUBLICLY GAY WRTLER HAS HAD UPS AND DOWNS

Even his petors have stayed away om harassg him about beg gay. The entire regular season had gone by whout an cint, but headg to the state meet a petg wrtler tracked down Geick’s Instagram acunt and cid to leave a bg msage about Geick beg gay. Geick ma his beg gay pretty clear last June when he posted this Instagram picture om pri (that’s Geick on the left, while his boyiend, Grant, is plantg the kiss):.

Sce then he’s been unabashed about beg gay and sharg photos of himself and Grant, cludg this post om his homeg last fall, wh his boyiend by his si:. Now Geick hop that by sharg his story he n help other gay athlet feel like they are not alone.

“I really didn’t know any gay wrtlers. The first thg I Googled was ‘NCAA gay wrtlg’ and that was the article I found. Last May, Dylan Geick was havg lunch wh some iends at Stevenson when the talk turned to the news that a fellow stunt had jt e out as gay.

HERE'S A POWERFUL STORY ABOUT A GAY HIGH SCHOOL WRTLER WHO CAME OUT DURG COLLEGE RECG

"Geick — now a senr bound for Columbia Universy and a two-time state placer for Stevenson's wrtlg team — is not the only Chigo-area high school athlete to e out as and cross-untry nner Konrad Eirg, now a sophomore petg at Illois, also me out as a junr at Barrgton and Geick are part of a small but growg number of out athlet at the high school and llege levels. But he also n't rell not feelg fortable wh the ia of beg gay. Probably by sophomore year, I knew and had e to terms wh by junr year.

"She said, 'Too bad, he's probably gay, '" Geick relled.

"Once I me here, I never had a problem wh gay people.

MEET OPENLY GAY WRTLER DYLAN WATSON

But was hard to image one of my bt iends beg gay.

GAY NEW JERSEY HIGH SCHOOL WRTLG STATE CHAMP OUT ON LLEGE RECG TRIP

"I don't thk he's a bad kid and I don't thk he's homophobic.

Columbia wrtlg ach Zach Tanelli was among those who learned Geick was gay om the Outsports story. Sce then, the NCAA’s first publicly gay wrtler has experienced a wi-range of triumphs and tribulatns: he’s been redshirted, lost his scholarship, transferred lleg and served as an unofficial unselor for other stgglg gay teens — jt like him. He heard homophobic language his entire life, g om his fay members and classmat.

Stgglg wh his sexual orientatn, Donovan told his father he was gay the heat of an unrelated argument.