Both of their stories were huge, spilling out from sports into mainstream news and culture.Ĭollins and Sam are far from the only out black LGBTQ athletes to have made a difference. Two prominent examples whose coming out announcements had an impact beyond sports are Jason Collins, the first NBA player to come out in 2013, and Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted in the NFL in 2014.

Outsports recently spoke with Callan about how the history of black athletes coming out, and specifically black gay men, has been particularly meaningful to him. Callan, 22, left the Miami program after experiencing what he described as a hostile environment, where gay people were spoken of in derogatory terms, ultimately keeping him in the closet. Callan has long recognized the intersectionality of being a gay man, a black man and a gay black man. Former University of Miami running back T.J.