Everyone give a big gay welcome to Collin Martin, a midfielder for Major League Soccer team Minnesota United who has just come out of the closet. Martin came out via his personal Twitter account, stating that his team was having their pride night and that he wanted to announce his sexuality publicly.
In a screenshot of a statement in the tweet, Martin expanded his thought to say that he’s been out to his friends and family, including his teammates, for many years.
Tonight my team, @MNUFC , is having their Pride night. It's an important night for me — I'll be announcing that I am an openly gay player in Major League Soccer. #soccerforall pic.twitter.com/cOJQXfrBiv
— Collin Martin (@martcw12) June 29, 2018
“I have received only kindness and acceptance from everyone in Major League Soccer and that has made the decision to come out publicly that much easier,” Martin wrote. “In light of my experience as a professional athlete, I want to take this moment to encourage others who play sports professionally or otherwise to have confidence that sport will welcome them wholeheartedly.”
According to Outsports, Martin is currently the only openly gay male player who is active in any major sports league in the United States. In addition, he is only the second openly gay player in MLS’s history. The first came out in 2013 — and did so while simultaneously announcing his retirement.
When we think about how far we’ve come with visibility, it’s good to be reminded that not every corner of our society is as progressive as we’d like and there are still stones to be turned.
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