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Several football players from the Air Force Academy and the team coach expressed their support for Bradley Kim.
(Facebook)
A defensive back of the US Air Force Academy football team came out Friday as the first openly gay football player to play for one of the three major American teams in the US. 39, service academy.
Sophomore Bradley Kim announced his badual orientation to his teammates, On Social Media and OutSports.com, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported. The academy is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Kim wrote on social media that he is now quite comfortable and confident in himself to say that he is gay. The security for the Falcons said that he hopes that it can be an example for people who fear that they will not be accepted.
"If someone feels they do not have a voice or feel lonely, know that there are many people like you and I are willing to talk to you about it" , writes Kim in a post on Instagram
"To our knowledge, Kim is the first military division" Stephen Peters II, founder of the advocacy group of the American Military Partner Association, said, "To our knowledge, it is safe to say that Kim is the first Division I military football player to come out "
– Stephen Peters II, founder, American Military Partner Association
Kim, who is half Korean and half German , attributes to his network of friends gay athletes the courage to go out, reports Outsports.com. These friends include Conner Mertens, a former football player from Willamette University.
"The positive reaction that Conner got from his team is probably the main reason why I'm able to be part of my team." "He's just an authentic person, he's going to reach out just to make sure I'm fine, just the type of person Conner helped me a lot."
Several of Kim's teammates sent messages of support through social media.
"I can not imagine the courage that it took to open up" I can not imagine the amount of courage that it took for him to open up about it. "
– Demani Hansford, Bradley Kim's teammate
said teammate Demani Hansford.Many coaches from the team, including head coach Troy Calhoun, also supported Kim, Outsports.com.
"They (teammates and coaches) tell me that they appreciate the fact that I felt pretty confident and that they meant"
The leaders of the Air Force Academy stated that the academy was striving to promote a culture where everyone gives and receives dignity and respect.
Other Division I football players King Johnson (Arizona), Scott Frantz (State of Kansas) and Xavier Colvi (Butler), USA Today reported
Associated Press contributed to this report. 19659019] Amy Lieu is a news editor and journalist for Fox News.
