We’re so delighted to have three of our coming-out stories highlighted in Towleroad’s list of the 50 most important coming-out stories of 2012. We profiled gymnast and Olympic hopeful Josh Dixon last May as he was aiming for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. He spoke then of being multiracial and adopted, on top of the incredible pressures of being a top-level athlete.
Karen Hultzer is a South African archer who had the unique distinction of coming out during the Olympics. Outsports had contacted her before the Games on a tip, and she asked us to hold the story until after her competition. We did, she gave us a great quote about being cranky in the morning, and she has since embraced her new-found worldwide celebrity.
We’re so delighted to have three of our coming-out stories highlighted in Towleroad’s list of the 50 most important coming-out stories of 2012. We profiled gymnast and Olympic hopeful Josh Dixon last May as he was aiming for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. He spoke then of being multiracial and adopted, on top of the incredible pressures of being a top-level athlete.
Karen Hultzer is a South African archer who had the unique distinction of coming out during the Olympics. Outsports had contacted her before the Games on a tip, and she asked us to hold the story until after her competition. We did, she gave us a great quote about being cranky in the morning, and she has since embraced her new-found worldwide celebrity.
But the biggest coming-out story of the year for us was our profile on former NFL player Wade Davis.
It took me six years to convince Wade to let me write about him. Ultimately he agreed. We crafted the story around his advocacy work for LGBT youth — and that story catapulted him into the national spotlight.
When I visited the White House last week, Wade was there with his mom. "Call me Momma J," she said. A year ago, Momma J wouldn't talk to Wade about his sexual orientation. She didn't want to meet his partner of five years. There had been a time when the two didn't speak. Wade didn't come out publicly in that time for fear of how it would impact his mother.
But since Wade's very public coming out last June, Momma J has had an awakening. It was emotional to meet her, hug her, have her hug me back, and hear her tell me how important it is that everyone loves one another and tears down the walls keeping gay people from equality. And in that moment my journey bringing Wade out of the closet was complete: Because I knew it had positively affected the most important person in his life (well, second most – love you Steven!).
All told, Towleroad included eight athletes on their list. Others were: Thomas Bosworth, Orlando Cruz, Kevin McClatchy, Megan Rapinoe and Aaron Rogers. No, the OTHER Aaron Rogers. 🙂
