Alec Donovan was fresh off of winning the New Jersey state high school wrestling championship in the 145-pound division of the NJSIAA/Rothman Institute Wrestling Championships when he reached another milestone in his life — coming out as gay.
He was on a recruiting trip to Limestone College in South Carolina with other prospective teenage wrestlers, including another one from New Jersey who had competed in the same state championship.
Related: High School Jock Comes Out By Slow Dancing With The Homecoming King
“Rumor is you’re bisexual,” the other student said to him. “Is it true?”
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For Donovan, it was a pivotal moment. Since realizing he was gay as a high school freshman, he’d experienced the depression, confusion and suicidal thoughts that unfortunately affect so many LGBT youth. But he was ready to speak his truth and unburden himself from the years of covering.
“The rumor isn’t true,” Donovan told the other boy. “I’m not bisexual…I’m gay.”
Related: High School Wrestler Comes Out To Homophobic Coach, Who Also Happens To Be His Dad
It ended up being something of a nonevent, and the casual nature of the news is something we absolutely love hearing about.
The other boy said he was “cool with it,” and asked Donovan’s permission to talk to the Limestone team about it. And while it really wasn’t the business of the other athlete, Donovan said “sure.”
“It’s better that everybody knows anyway, so I don’t end up on a team that doesn’t want me for all of me,” he told Outsports.
The Limestone wrestlers were equally unfazed, with, “That’s cool as long as you don’t hit on me,” being the most extreme reaction. And one that Donovan had the perfect rebuttal to — “Why would I hit on you?” Everyone laughed.
Donovan doesn’t know where he’ll end up next year, but you can bet that wherever it is, he’ll be welcomed for who he truly is — an exceptional athlete who just so happens to be gay.
Gaetano Bettenardi
GOOD GO MISTER, BE PROUD OF WHO YOU ARE, GREAT
Kieran
There really should be athletic scholarships for gay athletes who come out. It would be a tangible way for society to encourage athletes to come out and be who they are. The fact that you never hear about scholarships for gay athletes shows how society has failed to support vulnerable gay youth.
Xzamilio
@Kieran: Unless, he’s black, right? Then he’s just getting another handout, according your ilk.
Trent Stevens
Good for him. I knew I was gay when I turned 14.
Xzamilio
@Kieran: Actually, I’m going to take that back. You made a genuinely accurate comment and I won’t take away that by pissing on it. So let me just say I’m sorry now and whatever you respond with, I will understand.
Prinny
How dare perpetuate bi erasure.
David Tillman
Yaaaaaaaaay
D.j. Wood
Awesome! Good for him! 😀
Troy E. Pelaar
It is finally becoming a non-issue, especially with younger generations! Way to be yourself.
DarkZephyr
“As long as you don’t hit on me” is among the most annoying of the “accepting” responses I have gotten over the years. As if they think that I must LIVE for the day that I can hit on their straight selves. Blah. I have never hit on a straight man but I have gotten several indecent proposals from overly horny drunken guys who identify as straight and assumed that I would jump at the chance to suck their dicks for them. I especially love it when they tell me that they will “let” me suck their dicks.
@Prinny: Is that a joke? I sure hope so. How can he be blamed for perpetuating bi erasure by telling the truth that he is not bi?
Prinny
@DarkZephyr: It was a joke actually.
Arcamenel
Good for him. Straight guys are annoying.
Ezra Ben-Ami
Well, that’s one way to say why he’s so good at wrestling. ð??
jason smeds
I congratulate Alec Donovan for his honesty.
At the same time, let’s not get overly obsessed with labels. Labels are for boxes, not human beings. You shouldn’t even need to say “I’m gay” or “I’m straight”.
Felix Duarte
Love his comeback! Good for him.
Steve George
Proud
inbama
@Prinny:
The good news is, they’ll always have Charles Manson.
Alan David Smith
I read the article and my ? is why did these people feel the need to even ask
Billysees
@D.j. Wood:
“Awesome! Good for him!”
@Felix Duarte:
“Love his comeback! Good for him.”
Niarchos Wright
Nice.. It is slowly changing but we won’t stop! Sweet
Giancarlo85
@Xzamilio: You know it is true though. If this article was about a gay black or Latino athlete he probably would have never made the comment. Gay Republicans are notorious in only caring about white people.
Bauhaus
@Giancarlo85:
“Gay Republicans are notorious in only caring about white people.”
————————————————-
I always imagined that gay republicans only cared about themselves.
MacAdvisor
@jason smeds:
“At the same time, let’s not get overly obsessed with labels. Labels are for boxes, not human beings. You shouldn’t even need to say “I’m gay” or “I’m straight”.”
What new-age twaddle. There is being open minded and being so open minded your brains fall out. Yes, people (and even boxes) are more than the sum of their labels, but labels are useful ways to make reasonable distinctions. To say I want a beer rather clearly means I don’t want a ’78 Cab or a glass of Kool-Aid. When I tell someone I am gay, I am revealing something of myself, not my whole self, but a part. To suggest “I’m gay” or “I’m straight” is to reveal something about me.
Lastly, period within the quote, even if it is not part of the quote. Thus, “I’m gay” or “I’m straight.”
inbama
@MacAdvisor:
Yep.
It’s the people constantly whining about terminology that are “obsessed with labels.”
When we have 50 different genders and college students demanding professors address them as “it” and “they,” it’s obvious something has gone seriously wrong with the LGBT movement.
SteveDenver
What a wonderful story, I hope he has a fantastic life living TRUTHFULLY and HONESTLY with those around him.
It’s funny that straight guys often seem insulted when gays aren’t hot for them.
SteveDenver
What a wonderful story, I hope he has a fantastic life living TRUTHFULLY and HONESTLY with those around him.
It’s funny that straight guys often seem insulted when gays aren’t hot for them — almost as if they’ve been rejected, even though they feared being desired. As a young bodybuilder from Austria once said (before he turned into a Republican jerk): “I get a lot of respect and admiration from gay fans. I’m concerned about the day they’re not interested.”
scotshot
@jason smeds: You’re a t*rd. If the label fits….
scotshot
@inbama: We don’t have people within the LGBT movement demanding professors address them as “it” and “they.”
We do have homophobic closet cases Trolling gay discussion sites doing so.
wpewen
This is kind of poignant for me. Wrestling and sailing have been the only sports that I could do naturally. Was good enough to go out for wrestling in high school but didn’t. I hope this guy does really well and enjoys himself. What’s great is that now gay young men can do what some of us have always done but had to put up with getting real neurotic around other guys. The military and sports can be great experiences,and now if you are gay you are taken as man along with everybody else, not some oddball. It’s nice to be able to identify with something you like and not be fed crap that you don’t belong there. Good luck to you.
billywonka
Well done, young man.
No doubt you will be a success wherever you go to College and after!
GayEGO
Congratulations! I was 16 when I left the Mormon Church. Back in the 1940s I knew I liked guys but I did not know what it was called until I went into the Navy and was transferred to Washington, D.C. Before then, I heard the usual nasty names they called us.
Giancarlo85
@inbama: You don’t know shit about trans people so why do you continue to post this nonsense?
enlightenone
Double Bravo and touche to this confident, proud, young, but wise gay MAN!