LAFC match tated by some fans chantg ‘puto,’ and gay fans want answers - Outsports

Contents:

• COLL MART, MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER PLAYER, SAYS, 'I'M GAY'
• HOW GAY SOCCER PLAYER HELPED LGBTQ SUPPORTER GROUP GET OFFICIAL REGNN OM MLS TEAM
• LAFC MATCH TATED BY SOME FANS CHANTG ‘PUTO,’ AND GAY FANS WANT ANSWERS
• THE FIRST OUT, GAY PLAYER MLS HISTORY IS SHOCKED THAT RSL ACH ALLEGEDLY SHOUTED A HOMOPHOBIC SLUR AT A REF

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

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. “We n still unt the number of current or former openly gay athlet on pretty much two hands, ” he said.

“Sport teach a very narrow fn of masculy and femy, " Taylor said, "and if you don’t nform to that very narrow fn, you’re gonna be met wh a culture that a lot of homophobic, sexist language, and as a rult is not perceived to be a very acceptg space. "We know there’s a dropoff on the llegiate level and the profsnal level” of gay players, he are g out at younger ag now, he said, but many current players are most likely still closeted. How gay soccer player helped LGBTQ supporter group get official regnn om MLS team.

HOW GAY SOCCER PLAYER HELPED LGBTQ SUPPORTER GROUP GET OFFICIAL REGNN OM MLS TEAM

Ryan Keee lov soccer, but he thought was not patible wh beg gay. For me, as a once-closeted gay high school soccer player, was the end of one part of my personal journey and a renewed sense of why I love the game.

Homosexualy at that time of my life though wasn’t a thg.

My awarens of homosexualy beme more evint the years as adolcent teens often e gay slurs to addrs others. The gay boy was eptg om si of me out through my soccer arms. ” At this pot my life, gay was wrong, and I was termed to do right.

LAFC MATCH TATED BY SOME FANS CHANTG ‘PUTO,’ AND GAY FANS WANT ANSWERS

I rolved that once I fished my Masters, I uld then own a gay inty.

My mother asked once if I was gay and explaed that if I was, we uld seek help. I took this to mean psychiatric therapy or prayg the gay away, not knowg at the time she meant support of beg my te self. My uncle, beg a History Channel fan, had jt watched a documentary on homosexualy that explaed the te nature of .

THE FIRST OUT, GAY PLAYER MLS HISTORY IS SHOCKED THAT RSL ACH ALLEGEDLY SHOUTED A HOMOPHOBIC SLUR AT A REF

Ryan Keee has now embraced beg gay. Here I was a gay whe man Miami, playg the game I love a muny I never dreamed beg . ” At the tersectn of my whe cismale inty, there was a gay man that had been supprsed.

I was able to explore of my life as a gay man Miami but feared returng home meant I would have to supprs . They acknowledged that a space for gay people to enjoy sports let alone soccer didn’t really exist. My life around soccer and the gay muny began to quickly expand.

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 proceed.The team was agreement: Somethg need to be done.