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.
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.