Carl Nassib’s coming out as the first active gay professional football player is not something to brush aside.
As the Las Vegas Raiders defensive end said in his statement on Monday, he believes representation and visibility are important.
He’s right. Imagine being in Nassib’s shoes for 15 years, not being able to be yourself. It’s a struggle that many have lived and will continue to live with, but having greater representation and visibility in the biggest North American sports league is quite monumental.
Look at the charity that Nassib is now aligning himself with in the Trevor Project. It’s an organization that counsels LGBTQ youth as suicide rates are considerably higher for LGBTQ youth than with their peers.
These kids need more Carl Nassibs or Jason Collinses or Billie Jean Kings.
Nassib may be the first but he won’t be the last — and here’s hoping Nassib’s announcement gives a kid somewhere someone to relate to and to be inspired by.
It’s why Monday’s news about a football player’s sexuality is so important.