Jeremy is a seventeen-year-old football player living in one of America’s most conservative regions. He is also gay and the author of Standing Up Speaking Now, a semi-anonymous blog where he speaks frankly about being a closeted high school athlete.
“I’m a good student who goes for those ridiculous AP schedules, and I’m an athlete. Yes, I play sports, and yeah… I’m into dudes. At any given time of the year, you will find me either: running track or playing football. That being said, fighting for what I believe in, has become super important. I know certain circumstances arise, and you find yourself barricaded in internal struggles, but sometimes, just speaking up can make all the difference.”
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Jeremy is one of several young athletes who are vocal on the internet about the difficulties they face being gay in such a homophobic community, many of whom remain closeted in their every day lives.
As I began to accept myself, I came across several blogs on the Internet of other gay high school athletes. It finally hit me that I wasn’t alone and that really helped. I’ve been in contact with the guys from “Walk The Road” and “Sam I Am” and have evolved more in the past few months than ever. After being inspired, I started my own blog, “Standing Up Speaking Now,” in December to rant about the happenings of my life.
To say that my life has changed since I started the blog would be an understatement. So much has happened to me that I feel like a new person. It first started with unending desire to come out to someone. I was on the verge of going insane, simply because I couldn’t be “me” around my best friends.
Read Jeremy’s whole post from OutSports here.
Thanks to Ed Halter for the tip!