Alex Coletta didn't have the intention of sharing his story on Outsports when he agreed to be the subject of a student art project at the Univ. of Michigan. The sophomore and crew team member for the Wolverines let Juli Ann Polise into private moments of his life with his fellow teammates and away from the water. The result is an intimate portrayal of the real life of a gay college athlete and the normal response he receives from others in his sport.
Coletta talks about a key moment before choosing to join the team when he was in the crew house and saw several equality stickers posted in the living room. Seeing that proactive support from his team – before they knew he was gay and before he was their teammate – was a telling moment about the power of subtle actions to change the environment in sports.
Be sure to check out the video about Coletta and the Univ. of Michigan crew team below.
You can find Alex Coletta on Facebook. Juli Ann Polise is on Twitter @JuliAnnSheriff.
the life of Alex from Juli Polise on Vimeo.
