Michael Sam says Black community accepts that he is gay

Michael Sam, the standout player for Mizzou who became the first openly gay player in NFL history is featured in the cover story of Attitude, a leading gay magazine in the UK and Europe. Sam opens up in the interview for the story about racism in the gay community, and acceptance of gays in the Black community. His impact on the NFL, and professional sports acceptance of gay players, continues, even though Sam is not currently on an NFL team.

According to USA Today Sports, “Michael Sam may not be on the an NFL team at the moment, but the second he was picked 249th overall in 2014, the first openly-gay player’s impact on the league has remained lasting.

“That’s not to say it’s been easy, though. And in the most recent issue of Attitude magazine, Sam says that being black and gay has made him a target for rash of different attacks:

“’People have told me I’m not gay enough, people have told me I’m not black enough. I don’t know what that means. You want to be accepted by other people but you don’t even accept someone just because of the color of their skin? I just don’t understand that at all.’”

Sam is more positive about his acceptance in the Black community. Towleroad.com, reporting on the Attitude story, published his comments about homophobia within the Black Community: “’I can only go by my experience and the people I’ve been around. I think it’s more accepting, actually. There are a lot of black, openly gay people. A lot of people have [gay] friends, cousins, brothers, sisters… They have at least one openly gay person, at least it’s more accepting, that’s my experience. People tell me they have family members who are gay and it doesn’t freak them out and no black person ever freaked out at me, ‘oh you’re gay’. None.’”

He did note that religion plays a role, and the impact on politics, saying, “’There are people who are over religious who go, ‘oh, you’re a fag, you’re going to hell.’ That’s everywhere. Ted Cruz is pretty much anti-gay.’”

Attitude’s online article also highlights the “media storm” to accompanied Sam’s coming out. The magazine’s website says, “Also high on the agenda is the media storm that surrounded his coming out announcement and subsequent draft into one of the world’s most elite sporting leagues.

“’I wouldn’t say it was a storm because to me storms are bad. I helped a lot of people,’ he tells us. ‘I was so naive when I came out. I wasn’t thinking about anybody else trying to be an inspiration or advocate or activist, whatever, I wasn’t trying to be anything but just to get that over with so I could stop focusing on me.

“’Then I started reading things that was going around, from people: emails, letters, Tweets, messages, everything – they were more positive than negative. ‘People said oh my god I just can’t believe you had the courage to do that’. I said, ‘I’m just living my life.’”

He continues: “’So many young people who were scared to tell their parents, they were athletes themselves: [they wrote that] you gave me the courage to come out myself. You know, it was amazing.

“’There was a friend who told me to give his cousin a call and she had tried to commit suicide twice. After she heard my story she promised herself she would never do it. It’s amazing. People kill themselves because they can’t handle that pressure and that stress. It’s very sad.

“’If by me living my life, I can save someone, I would do it again.’”

The Gayly – March 31, 2016 @ 8:30 a.m.