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.