Inspired by the example of MLS player Robbie Rogers, this Cornell University soccer player comes out in his own way

From Athlete Ally:

Atticus DeProspo is a Junior Industrial and Labor Industrial Relations major and soccer player at Cornell University, and tells his coming out story below. He is also a Theatre Productions minor. 

As a young man active in collegiate athletics, I am aware that this world about which I am most passionate is not always very tolerant.  There is a strong masculinity that pervades sports, especially male sports, and I was worried about the repercussions I might face if I were honest with my teammates, parents, and family.  Because of this fear, I have kept a part myself secret for a long time: I can hold it in no longer. 

I am Atticus. I am a soccer player at Cornell University. I am a campus tour guide. I am a resident advisor in the dormitories.  I am a dancer. I am a pre-law and lighting design student. I am a human being. 

And I am gay. 

True, being gay is merely a part of the holistic man that I am. But for some reason it is a part that society likes to place emphasis on—both for better and for worse. I believe that there are many aspects to each human being on this earth that make him or her unique from everyone else.  It is what God intended and what makes this world a beautiful place....

....I am Atticus. I play soccer at Cornell. I give tours to prospective students, I advise residents in the freshmen dorms, and I do many other things.  I am embracing all of who I am, but I am not a label.  I will not be stigmatized.  I look forward to the future: if any country can adopt the tolerance and respect for others that will lead to the breakdown of stereotypes that pervade collegiate sports, America is that country.

Read Atticus' full letter here.