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Podcast: Gay swimmers say being best friends helped them come out

Axel Reed and Josh Velasquez share a bond only swimmers have.

Axel Reed, left, Josh Velasquez
Photo by Focal Instincts

Josh Velasquez and Axel Reed are two swimmers in college who each had a secret — they were gay. Through their close bond, the two friends came out to each other and have become each other's rock. "Swimmers have a special connection, and that was the reason we clicked," they write in a co-bylined essay on Outsports.

We talk with Josh and Axel about their journeys and what it means to have a best friend with whom who can share your most intimate thoughts.

Listen here or click below. Axel and Josh come on at the five-minute mark: