“The first person that ever believed in me was gay. My ballet teacher. He was the first person that made me feel like I was special, and, I dunno, I think that was the beginning of some kind of unconscious connection [with gay men].”

“My reason for coming out isn’t to be some sort of hero. I’m just at a point in my life where I’m tired of having to pretend to be somebody I’m not. I’m tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about. About the person I love. Male athletes of my caliber probably feel like they have a lot more to lose than gain [by coming out]. I don’t agree with that. To me, the most important thing is happiness.”

“[Anderson] Cooper isn’t the only well-known TV personality hiding his sexual orientation. Shepard Smith, who hosts a popular program on Fox News and received widespread praise for his work covering Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, also dodges questions about his sexual orientation. Smith once chatted me up in a New York City gay piano bar, bought me drinks, and invited me back to his place. When I declined, he asked me to dinner the next night, another invitation I politely refused. We sat at the bar chatting and drinking martinis until 3:00 a.m., our conversation interrupted only when he paused to belt out the lyrics to whatever showtune was being performed.”