Last week, Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib made the barrier-breaking decision to publicly come out as gay, becoming the first active player in the N.F.L.
to do so. Nassib’s news came just days after 21-year-old runner Sha’Carri Richardson thanked her girlfriend after qualifying for the U.S.
Olympic team. And just two days later, Kumi Yokoyama, a forward for the Washington Spirit women’s soccer team, came out as a transgender man.
Nassib’s, Richardson’s and Yokoyama’s coming out should not have to be newsworthy.But it is newsworthy, for a reason that demands attention from high schools, colleges and the pros.