College football player Byron Perkins made history when he came out, & is now living life free of restrictions
A post shared by Byron Perkins (@byron.perkinz)This profile is part of Queerty’s 2023 Out For Good series, recognizing public figures who’ve had the courage to come out and make a difference in the past year.Name: Byron Perkins, 23Bio: A top football player at De La Salle High School in Chicago, Perkins led his team to a 6-4 record during his senior year, including a berth in the Illinois state playoffs.
He came down with three interceptions and a fumble recovery, and also posted a 47-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.While Perkins started his collegiate career at Purdue University in Indiana, he transferred from the Big Ten powerhouse to Hampton University, an HBCU playing in the Big South Conference.
He’s enjoyed three seasons with the Pirates, and his best campaign came last year, when he was credited with 22 total tackles and an interception.
But the biggest highlight of Perkins’ junior campaign came away from the field. With a simple Instagram post, the defensive back decided to remove his mask, and reveal his true self to the world.A post shared by Byron Perkins (@byron.perkinz)Coming Out: When Perkins hit “share” on Instagram and publicly came out as gay, he wasn’t doing it for anybody other than himself.
