When Bobby Petrino, Jr., came out publicly last year it sent shockwaves through the college football world: One ofthe highest-profile college football coaches had a gay son who himself played football.
Now his father, Louisville football head coach Bobby Petrino, has talked publicly about his son's coming out for the first time, sharing his thoughts with Seth Davis, tearing up a bit and very clearly demonstrating why coming out is the first, second and third most important determining factor in our acceptance.
It's great to see Petrino talk so openly about his gay son. The aura around football in America remains that of machismo, so to see a successful coach at the top of his game speak so openly and passionately about his gay son really is special.
Plus, his comments speak to the importance of coming out. Petrino's perspective on gay people has been permanently altered because he has a gay son who had the courage to come out. Non-LGBT people could have talked to him for years without movement; It took his son coming out to shift his perspectiv.
Professionally paid speakers like to believe they can change people's minds on LGBT issues; They cannot. It takes someone coming out in the family or on the team to do that.
