Sports has come a long ways in some respects, but without an openly gay current pro athlete there is still some ways to go. New York University’s out and proud volleyball captain Jay Hayes is trying to change that. He directed the It Gets Better video to send a message to gay athletes everywhere, “It gets better, because we make it better.”
In an interview with NYU Local, Hayes described what it might take for LGBT people to be accepted in sports.
“Athletics is the next frontier for gay rights. When you look at the civil rights movement, it wouldn’t have been as successful if a person like Jackie Robinson hadn’t been there,” said Hayes. “I really hope that a gay athlete comes out soon. I think that professional sports these days are just a business and these players know that it could hurt the brand and the bottom line if they came out.”
“Once we see a professional gay athlete come out and succeed, that will be monumental,” said Hayes.
In the article Hayes also talks about how he eventually came out to his teammates his sophomore year, and how being elected volleyball captain led to the It Gets Better video. The whole article is definitely worth reading, so go ahead and do that.
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