Air Force defensive back is first openly gay service academy player

SSG, you don't need to care. While you may see being LGBTQ in the military as acceptable, being gay in men's sports, especially football, is still groundbreaking. This cadet chose to put himself out there for other gay youth to look up to & see somebody like them playing on Saturdays.

MSgt (Join to see) he’s an academy cadet, so his career and training comes first. Football is secondary so my seeing him as my equal regardless of his (or anyone else’s) sexual orientation matters. If he wants to say he’s the first openly gay football player, Micheal Sam already did it, and I still didn’t care. I thought it was a great thing. This man is an Airman first, football player second.

SSG Warren Swan - You apparently are not familiar with Academy life. There are 3 equal parts to being a cadet: academics, athletics & military training/leadership. All cadets are required to participate in athletics, be it varsity, club or intramurals. If they excel at any of the 3, there is a pin they earn for their uniform. When you see one with all 3 represented, you know they're BA. He's the first openly gay military Academy player. It's a first that deserves a mention & now we move on. Just like we now have the first openly lesbian CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Gay people still face more challenges than the average Joe. There are not a lot of out male athletes. Over 500 players in the EPL & not 1 gay player is out. Being visible is the only way we eventually get to this being a non-issue. We're not there yet.

MSgt (Join to see) - I feel he’s BA not because of his sexuality, but his accomplishments to get into the academy itself. That’s the best part for me. I don’t particularly care about them playing any sport, but recognize that doing so further hammers home the belief of “One Team One Fight”. THAT I like (I also realize that if there was ever a NCO vs. Officer game, the Officers would soon be in sick call). Being LGBT to be is a personal choice, one I don’t care about being it’s something they want to do, and honestly I’m all for it. But like the first female Corps of Cadets commander at USMA, she’s the first black female to do so. When interviewed on this she shook off the “first of” label and reiterated she is a leader. So in that sense, she’s making it known that she isn’t “special”, but is a Soldier first, and everything else comes after being what she is. That’s how it should be. Be anything you want (as long as it’s honorable), and I’m don with it. DADT was one of the stupidest policies ever to hit the military short of segregated units. It’s also one of the best policies that have been repealed since segregated units. This Airman is just that...an Airman first, and whatever he wants to be in his personal time second. Sports will go away. No one is going to care who you sleep with (I hope most of us are past homophobia, but I doubt it), and in th end, are you a leader or not is all that matters.
I really and truly do not GAF about Academy life. I only care about the end product, and how they plan on leading my Joes. Sexuality be damned. Do a good job and bring them home the same way they left.