Soccer star Robbie Rogers comes out as gay then retires: ‘Secrets can cause so much internal damage’

I was so deeply moved by the blog post soccer star Robbie Rogers posted this morning in which he comes out publicly as a gay man.

While an increasing number of famous people are coming out more casually now, Robbie bares his soul and share with the world how it has felt to be closeted and the reasons why he had remained so until now.

I’m so grateful to him for opening up to the world this way – he will help so many others to feel less alone.

In a moving post on his personal blog entitled “The Next Chapter…” the 25-year-old former MLS and U.S. national team midfielder writes in part:

Things are never what they seem… My whole life I have felt different, different from my peers, even different from my family. In today’s society, being different makes you brave. To overcome your fears you must be strong and have faith in your purpose.

For the past 25 years, I have been afraid, afraid to show whom I really was because of fear. Fear that judgement and rejection would hold me back from my dreams and aspirations. Fear that my loved ones would be farthest from me if they knew my secret. Fear that my secret would get in the way of my dreams. [...]

Secrets can cause so much internal damage. People love to preach about honesty, how honesty is so plain and simple. Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay. Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently.