Coming Out Stories

The SEC co-defensive player of the year from the University of Missouri would be first publicly gay active NFL player if drafted. "I want to own my truth," Michael Sam says. He came out to his team last summer.

The exclusive behind-the-scenes story of how NFL prospect Michael Sam came out

Korten remembers one night when he punched himself repeatedly in the stomach, desperately struggling with his sexuality and the Bible.

Friestad grew up in Plano, Texas, and was fully supported by his high school team. He had to come out again at Div. 1 New Jersey Institute of Technology, and he was embraced.

Scott Cooper just finished his senior season. He found true acceptance on his Augsburg College football team, which included him being asked by a coach to speak on National Coming Out Day and introducing his partner at Senior Day.

Cooper talks football, religion and his future.

Whitney found complete acceptance from his Walla Walla Community College baseball team when he came out to them just days after his then-boyfriend, Conner Mertens, came out to his college football team.

A place kicker at Willamette University in Oregon, Mertens came out as bisexual to his team. He now comes out publicly in hopes of inspiring other LGBT athletes to come out and be true to themselves.

While nobody on the team quite knew how to handle a gay player when Richards came out, the entire Kenyon lacrosse team now again calls him their lax bro.

LeQuan Chapman grew up in a rough neighborhood where "words like 'faggot' and 'gay' were primary in describing all things bad." He discovered sports and became true to himself and is now out and proud.

Rebecca Windover finally found her voice -- and came out of the closet -- when she found her voice

The Gainsborough Trinity midfielder was inspired by the coming out of Thomas Hitzlsperger.

Hitzlsperger also played in Germany's Bundesliga and becomes one of the very few European soccer players to come out.

Gay athletes came out, and straight athletes stripped down, in our most popular stories of 2013

We will in fact have at least three out LGBT athletes as part of the White House delegation in Sochi

From high school coaches to professional athletes to sportswriters, 2013 saw the most-ever stories on publicly out people in sports.

While big names like Jason Collins and Brittney Griner are there, Towleroad also highlights stories from high school and college sports

When Dafforn came out to his Boilermakers team his senior year, they were only mad he hadn't come out sooner

British Olympic diver Daley doesn't say he's gay, but he has fallen in love with another guy

People across the Web and around the world react -- mostly positively -- to the diving sensation's news that he's dating a man