A post shared by TJ Callan (@tjthelamphead)TJ Callan thought his relationship with football would always be complicated. A South Florida native, he achieved his childhood dream and suited up for the Miami Hurricanes. But his excitement was curtailed when he walked into the locker room and heard the way his new teammates talked.
Callan was out to many people at his high school, where he thrived on his track and football teams. He quickly understood, however, that wouldn’t be possible at Miami. Players on the team threw around antigay slurs with regularity, expressing hostile views towards gay people.
When Callan abstained from the homophobic taunting, he became a target himself. One of his teammates labeled him an “undercover f*ggot,” and another pulled back a handshake during a film session, calling him gay in vulgar terms. Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.Callan left the Hurricanes during the 2018 season, and then tried to quietly live his life.
For a few years, that didn’t involve football. Then he received a message from Izzy Gutierrez, one of the most famous gay sportswriters in the country. Gutierrez followed Callan’s story, and implored him to join a queer-friendly flag football league in the Fort Lauderdale area.
At first, the concept seemed foreign to Callan.That is, until he showed up.“On the way home, I just started crying,” he said. “I called my mom and dad and was like, “I cannot believe I get to play football again… and be gay!” I felt like before, my identities couldn’t be in the same space.“That was the moment where my worlds collided. It was like a breath of fresh air.”Now a gay flag football vet, Callan pairs his identities as an athlete and gay man every day. With a new season starting up, Queerty recently caught up with the “U” product to talk about rediscovering his passion, gay football stereotypes and his favorite Lego creation. Here’s
.
Football
queer
ATHLETICS
Gay
UPS
Colleges