Byron Perkins Becomes First HBCU Football Player To Announce He's Gay

Hampton University football player Byron Perkins made a choice to announce he is gay.

Recently, according to outsports.com, he wasn’t feeling right about keeping that inside, and so he made a choice to change that.

“I’ve been self-reflective and trying to prioritize what makes me happy and makes me feel alive,” Perkins said. ”I thought it could be just football and school, but there was a component missing. And recently I’ve been able to figure out that I haven’t been fully happy because everyone didn’t know who I was. Authenticity is everything to me.”

He came out publicly as gay in a powerful message pertaining to the love for everyone.

“I’ve decided that I’m going to make a change, and stop running away from myself,” Perkins wrote on Instagram. “I’m gay, let it be known that this is not a ‘decision’ or a choice.’ Yes, this is who I am, this is who I’ve been, and this is who I’m going to be. Simply put, I am who I am.”

Hampton is an Historically Black University that competes in the Colonial Athletic Association, which is a Division I FCS conference made up of former Atlantic 10 schools. The conference comprises 13 football teams from Maine to South Carolina.

According to outsports.com, Perkins is the first gay football player to come out publicly at an HBCU. There have been other gay Division I football players who made the announcement, too, including Scott Frantz at Kansas State, and My-King Johnson of Arizona.

Perkins took to Instagram what his thoughts are.

“I have come to understand that life is precious and I could be gone at any moment, therefore, I will no longer be living a lie. No one should have to live a life crippled by what society thinks…”

Photo Credit - IG: Byron.Perkinz