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First NFL player comes out as gay

In this day and age it shouldn't be a big deal, but it's a major step forward.

Good for you, Carl.

Nassib first active NFL player to come out as gay

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib on Monday became the first active NFL player to come out as gay.

Nassib, 28, made the announcement in an Instagram post.

"What's up people?" Nassib posted. "I'm at my house here in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I just want to take a quick moment to say that I'm gay. I've been meaning to do this for a while now, but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest. I really have the best life, I've got the best family, friends and job a guy could ask for.

"I'm a pretty private person so I hope you guys know that I'm really not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important. I actually hope that like one day, videos like this and the whole coming-out process are just not necessary. But until then, I'm going to do my best and do my part to cultivate a culture that's accepting, that's compassionate and I'm going to start by donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project."
 

SigurdReginson

Grēne Mann
Premium Member
Interesting. The NFL has been a thing for how long now?

That's cool, though. Maybe his words will encourage more folks to open up about it. :)
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
I was a bit amazed. I know that quite a few ex--players have come out as gay and it is not the big deal that it used to be in the past. I thought that for sure there must have been some players that were openly gay in the past, but I guess that I was wrong.
 
Strange...while I'm watching somebody play a sport well, I don't find myself wondering about who they sleep with. Maybe I'm just odd....

Very few people do, but it is simply a fact that hundreds of NFL players over the years have felt the need to keep their sexuality hidden from the public, their teammates and their employers.

What happens in elite sport impacts what happens in college and high school sport too.

So it's not about caring who someone sleeps with, but a necessary step in the right direction to where (hopefully) people don't feel the need to hide who they are for fear of discrimination, ostracism or unemployment.

Barriers need to be broken even when we think they should never have existed in the first place.
 

Evangelicalhumanist

"Truth" isn't a thing...
Premium Member
Very few people do, but it is simply a fact that hundreds of NFL players over the years have felt the need to keep their sexuality hidden from the public, their teammates and their employers.

What happens in elite sport impacts what happens in college and high school sport too.

So it's not about caring who someone sleeps with, but a necessary step in the right direction to where (hopefully) people don't feel the need to hide who they are for fear of discrimination, ostracism or unemployment.

Barriers need to be broken even when we think they should never have existed in the first place.
Oh, I completely agree with you -- as a gay man myself.

I was very lucky, in one way, in that growing up in the Children's Aid, I never really had family and friends to "come out" to, and I didn't much care what people I hardly knew thought. I very much agree with what Carl Nassib said, that he looks forward to the time when whole coming out thing is just completely unnecessary.
 

PoetPhilosopher

Veteran Member
I'm a member of the LGBTQ+ community, but coming out as gay used to mean something. But after the millionth celebrity did it, it kind of becomes old. I also think celebrities, even if they are LGBTQ+, need to focus their attention less on advertising of it, and more on donating to LGBTQ+ charities, etc. Let us who don't have much money spread awareness in our way, and if you want to spread awareness too, lead by example, because you're a celebrity and you get a lot more exposure, exposure isn't your problem.
 

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
I'd just push back slightly on those suggesting this is old news, or not much of a thing. Whilst it hopefully quickly BECOMES old news...much like celebs doing it...football is a pretty traditional and testosterone fuelled sport where people shower together after the game.

This is a small signal that there is more acceptance than before. The first active NBA player coming out was about 8 years ago. Quicker we get through these small steps forward, quicker we can all reach a point of not giving a crap. But for now, this hopefully helps a few others feel comfortable either in their sexuality, or in accepting others within the football world.

Just my take.
 

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
football is a pretty traditional and testosterone fuelled sport where people shower together after the game.
It always tickled me how much macho male culture is so obviously homoerotic (much of it seems to be an excuse to touch each other) but then they want to be homophobic. It was always hypocritical to me.
 

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
It always tickled me how much macho male culture is so obviously homoerotic (much of it seems to be an excuse to touch each other) but then they want to be homophobic. It was always hypocritical to me.

I don't quite see it that way, but I get what you mean.
Ultimately some sports have traditionally been accepting only of a very specific set of behaviours (in some cases pretty harmful ones, to be honest) and to some degree work like the army in that sense.

But, happily, this has changed drastically over the last 50 years, I would say. Still a ways to go, though.
 

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
David Kopay came out in1975. He wrote a book. Esera Tuaolo in 2002. Roy Simmons. Many more.
 
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