The Daily Local News of Chester County (Penn.) recently ran a lengthy update on out former college football captain Brian Sims, whom Outsports introduced to the world this past spring. Sims, a lawyer, has become an advocate for gay rights and has been speaking at various college athletic departments since our article came out. Those dates have included Penn State and the Univ. of Virginia. One theme Brian shared that most athletes who come out after their career seem to resonate: Why didn’t he do it sooner?
The outpouring of emotion came so fast that Sims began to wonder if he should have made his sexual orientation more public while he was still playing. He said it never became a story in college because his teammates didn’t care. And in high school, Sims was still a little too unsure of himself to make such a bold declaration.
But now that the issue has resurfaced, Sims is trying to make the most of his newfound platform – touring universities to speak of his experiences, corresponding with other gay athletes and using his high-profile job at the Philadelphia Bar Association to help foster equal rights for homosexuals throughout Pennsylvania.
We’re just glad he let us tell his story; We need as many powerful gay voices in sports as we can get.
on Nov 10th, 2009 at 5:29 PM
As a gay man and a HUGE sports fan I’ve never understood why it would be a big deal for a team to have a player who was openly gay. But after dating a few football and baseball players in college, I understand the intense “homophobia” in the locker room. Some of it is just tounge-in-cheek male joking around and some seems more rooted in latent tendencies and fear. Whatever the case, I think you are an inspiration and motivator for the next generation of athletes who will probably deal with this in their lifetime. Thank you.
on Nov 10th, 2009 at 6:29 PM
This dudes awesome!
on Nov 10th, 2009 at 7:51 PM
Straight men do a lot of joking around and horseplay to vent their sexual feelings. Most of these towel snappers don’t want to have sex with their teammates, but get off on the closeness and camaraderie of it all, which is deeply imbued with homoeroticism. (Some men, in fact, have bromances that are much more intense emotionally than the relationships they have with their wives or girlfriends.)
These men are also constantly measuring themselves against everyone else. They are aware of who has the biggest muscles (who is the most “jacked”), who has the biggest penis, and who is scoring the most off the playing field. Try showering with a bunch of guys and look at how many discreetly tug on their members before entering — it’s kinda funny actually.
The minute an openly gay guy enters the mix, it puts these guys on guard and makes them adhere once again to the strict boundaries and rules that all heterosexual guys have to follow.
The good news is that there are quite a few straight guys out there who are truly secure in their sexuality and couldn’t care less what other people think, and aren’t freaked out by gays guys at all. (In fact, some of them flirt rather shamelessly.)
PS Brian Sims is hot!
on Nov 12th, 2009 at 1:47 AM
As a UVA alum I’m glad to hear that the wahoo Athletic Dept. is a stop on his tour. This guy is great for gays in sports (and easy on the eyes!).
on Nov 13th, 2009 at 11:29 PM
I totally support what Brian is doing. I wish I accepted my sexuality a lot sooner. I was soooo dumb not to. Brian is an inspiration for me.