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NFL's first openly gay player shares hilarious moment he realized it was 'safe' to come out

Nassib himself made a gay joke, and the reaction from other players told him everything.

Erik Drost - CC BY 2.0 & Canva Photos

It took years and a lot of courage for Carl Nassib to come out. Now he's sharing the surprisingly funny story.

When Carl Nassib told the world he was gay, it was a huge moment for the NFL, sports, and the queer community. At the time, Nassib was a key defensive player for the Las Vegas Raiders, and his announcement made him the first openly gay active NFL player.

Before him, a few other players had come out after retiring. And there had also been the news and hype around Michael Sam a few years earlier, who was also openly gay. But unlike Nassib, Sam never saw NFL action in a regular-season game and was released before he could make a name for himself in the league. However, there was plenty of debate and rumors that Sam's open sexuality had contributed to his falling in the 2014 draft and ultimately washing out of the league. Though Sam was a good first step forward for the sports world, his experience didn't exactly leave the door wide open for the next person.

Nassib didn't let that stop him. He made his announcement in June of 2021, during the offseason, and on the opening Monday Night Football game of the next season, he made the key defensive play in front of an audience of millions to essentially win the game for his team.


@abcnews

#CarlNassib makes history by coming out as first openly gay active NFL player: “I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now.” #news #sports

Nassib was recently interviewed on The Pivot podcast and gave new insight into his decision to come out. One funny story, in particular, stuck out in his memory.

Former players Ryan Clark and Channing Crowder, hosts of the podcast, asked Nassib if he had any stories about his time in the league worth sharing. "I don't want a bad story because everybody thinks football players are these big meatheads who don't understand anything," Crowder said. "I got funny stories," Nassib replied.

Nassib said that during a game against Cleveland in 2020, he was annoyed that the Browns kept running a play called a "bootleg" away from him, which meant he had to expend a lot of energy sprinting full speed across the field to catch up. "I was so mad," he says.

"Stop with these gay ass bootlegs!" he yelled at the opposing team, admitting later in the interview that his own use of the word was pretty ignorant at the time. And that's when the entire opposing offensive line turned around and told him "You can't say that!"

"Oh man, the league is ready for this," Nassib recalls thinking. "They are ready for me. We got some allies here. ...I was like, 'This is so funny. The guy about to come out, saying the word gay, getting shut down by five massive dudes."

Watch the whole podcast exchange here:


Of course, there was more to it than that one funny moment. Later in the interview, Nassib went on to explain that the death of his uncle, who was also gay, had a huge impact on his decision.

Nassib grew up in a huge family, and his uncle was the only one of the whole bunch of 44 cousins who was open about being gay. On his Uncle Bill's deathbed in 2019, Nassib came out to him privately, and his uncle was so relieved not to be the only one. It inspired Nassib that he could do that for even more people around the world.

"When I came out to him, he was like, 'This is the biggest weight off my chest. I'm not the only one." Nassib remembers thinking, "Man, there's probably so many people out there that are going to feel that same way." Nassib had been wanting to come out publicly for years, but that moment with his uncle was one of the main catalysts that gave him the courage to finally go through with it.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Though Nassib is now retired from pro football, he leaves behind a powerful legacy. There have been no new players to follow in his footsteps per se, but young people all over the world have been quietly following his example ever since.

Nassib and his family still regularly hear from teenagers and their parents that his video gave them the courage to come out, or to participate in sports despite their fears of rejection. He continues to work closely with the Trevor Project and other organizations that aim to make the world safer for LGBTQ youth. And to think, it all may not have happened if those beefy Browns players hadn't called him out on the field!

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Mom explains 'coming out' to her Gen Alpha kids and people are praising her for it

"Making it clear from the start that it’s more than ok to be who you are is my favorite parenting style."

Photo credit: Canva

Mom explains 'coming out' to her kids.

Coming out stories can be filled with joy or pain depending on the support a person feels from their family and friends. There are some people in the LGBTQ+ community that have never had to come out, though that seems to be a rarity. That may be changing in the future for younger generations, however, as each generation is generally more socially liberal than the generations before them.

The current parents giving birth and raising young children are millennials and older Gen Zers. Both of these generations get a lot a flack for how social justice-oriented and emotionally aware they are, so it would make sense that their children would experience different social norms.

Emmaline Carroll Southwell recently uploaded a video of her explaining what coming out means to her young Gen Alpha kids. Coming out is a term used to describe when a member of the LGBTQ community tells people in their lives that they're LGBTQ for the first time. This is a concept that Southwell's children don't comprehend as being necessary, so she tries to fill in the blanks for them.

"In some families, cultures and religions, you're not allowed to be gay," Southwell says as her kids immediately chime in with a surprised, "What? Why?" before she continues. "Yes, and so there is the term 'coming out,' [it] applies to people who need to come out to their families to let them know, 'I'm gay.'"

One of the kids in the backseat asks, "But why do they have to tell them?" They seem to be genuinely confused on why that would be important information to share with families. The mom explains that some families disown their children or have other negative reactions. Her children remain shocked throughout the entire conversation not understanding how who someone loves could cause a negative response from their family members. Commenters praise the mom and expressed hope for the future.

"Awww the babies. This actually made me hopeful for future generations," one person writes.

"You made my day, as a gay man and teacher, more hopeful. Blessed be you and your kids," another says.

"I absolutely love seeing your conversations with your children. They’re so so intelligent and caring and kind. You’re doing the best job mama," someone shares.

"From someone who was disowned by their family, thank you for making your family a safe place for all love," a commenter reveals.

"Making it clear from the start that it’s more than ok to be who you are is my favorite parenting style," another person praises.

This mom's open conversation with her children is giving people a much needed dose of hope and seems to be providing a little healing for some. Maybe in the future far fewer people will find themselves needing to come out to their families and simply know they'll be loved for who they are.

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Her son came out. She called a gay bar for advice. The delightful conversation went viral.

Parenting done right.

Photo courtesy of Kara Coley.


Kara Coley, a bartender at Sipps in Gulfport, Mississippi, got an unusual phone call on the job last week.

"Good evening," Coley answered. "Thank you for calling Sipps!"

A woman on the other end of the line asked, "Is this a gay bar?"

Sipps welcomes everyone, Coley explained to her, but indeed attracts a mostly LGBTQ crowd.




"Can I ask you a question?" the caller followed up. "Are you gay?"

"Yes, ma'am," Coley said.

Then things got interesting.

"What was the one thing you wanted from your parents when you came out?" the woman continued.

Coley, who's tended bar for about 17 years, was a little caught off guard. In all her years of experience fielding requests and helping others working in the service industry, she'd never received a question like that.

Photo courtesy of Kara Coley.

"My son just came out to me," the woman continued on the other end of the line. "And I don't want to say anything that may mess him up in the head."

Coley thought for a moment. Then she asked the woman if she accepted her son for who he is.

The woman answered "yes."

"You should definitely let him know that you love and accept him!" Coley said. "I think everything will be OK from there!"

The woman thanked Coley for her input and they parted ways.

Later that night, in the early hours of Jan. 19, Coley decided to post the entire interaction to her Facebook page, noting how "random" it all had been.

In the days following, her post went viral, amassing over 1,500 likes and hundreds of shares.

So I got the most random phone call at the bar tonight! 😀Me:Good evening Thankyou for calling Sipps!Lady on phone: Is...
Posted by Kara Coley on Friday, January 19, 2018

The post's comment section soon filled with love and gratitude for Coley's simple but endearing answer.

"My heart is truly touched by this," one Facebook user wrote. "A parent wanting to support correctly, and a beautiful response. This is progress. This is love and acceptance in the rawest form."

"Kara, this old granny lesbian is so grateful for you, and for a parent that thought outside the box to get advice!" another user chimed in. "Keep being you!"

"[The response] has been amazing," Coley writes. She believes her post struck a chord with friends and strangers alike because people are looking for encouraging news: "Every day people wake up and there's so much negativity in the world — people just need a breath of fresh air!"

For parents to an LGBTQ child, it's still vital to understand the facts too, Coley noted: "Educate yourself [on LGBTQ issues] and do a little research."

Ideally, parents should have access to better resources than their local gay bar when it comes to getting help with LGBTQ parenting. At the end of the day, though, the best thing you can do as a parent is make sure your kid understands you're there through thick and thin.

"Just knowing you have someone in your corner takes a little weight off your shoulders," Coley wrote.

Learn more about being a good ally as a parent of an LGBTQ child at PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). If you're a young LGBTQ person who needs help, resources are available at The Trevor Project.


This article originally appeared on 1.24.18

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TV anchor admits she 'smiled inside' after the subtle way she came out on live TV

She just kinda snuck it in there.

via TaylorBruckTV/TikTok

Taylor Bruck comes out live on TV.

Weekend morning news anchor for Spectrum News 1 Ohio, Taylor Bruck, came out of the closet on live TV recently and the big moment happened on a whim. She was discussing Thanksgiving plans with her co-anchor, Alexa Maslowski, when she casually mentioned she was planning on visiting her “girlfriend” in Cleveland.

She told People it was a “spur-of-the-moment" thing.

“I told myself, ‘Just say it,’” she said. “When I finally said it out loud, I smiled inside because it was a big moment for me." She posted a clip of the milestone across her social media profiles, where it has been seen hundreds of thousands of times.

“A seemingly simple yet scary word… I said ‘girlfriend’ on air for the first time today, which some people may say, 'ok, who cares?' … but to me, it’s a step toward accepting and loving myself fully and being authentic on and off the air," she captioned the video.

@taylorbrucktv

A seemingly simple yet scary word… I said “girlfriend” on air for the first time today, which some people may say “ok, who cares?” … but to me it’s a step toward accepting and loving myself fully and being authentic on and off the air. IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS 🥰🥂🥳 • • • #littlewins #newsanchor #authenticity #lgbt #taylorbrucktv #reporter #comingout #journey #diversity #ohio #news #tvnewsanchor

The moment inspired many who felt seen by Bruck’s casual revelation. "Love this. We need visibility. And it was so natural and accepting. Live your truth!" Selena Marie TV wrote. "Thank you! And proud of you! Representation matters," Singingchica added.

For Bruck, coming out was a way to pay it forward after being inspired by other LGBTQ journalists such as Robin Roberts and Anderson Cooper.

“Messages are pouring in from all around the world, including Ghana, Germany, Australia, London, as well as many states across the U.S.,” Bruck said. “People are telling me how much this visibility means to them and that they’re so proud of me.”

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