Michael Sam Quotes

I think younger players probably just think they are who they are-they don't think about coming out. Unless you're number one in the world, nobody cares, usually.

I didn't want that 15 minutes of fame moment like, 'Oh, she said she was gay.'

Even before I came out, looking at me, I've probably looked a little gay. I had short hair, and, you know, it wasn't a huge surprise to people. But some athletes have this image to uphold and may feel like sponsors won't want them if they're gay.

The moment I came out as a gay man, I never really thought of the consequences. Of course, the proverbial happened: it hits the newswires, and it's this big, big thing.

People may have said, "The dude's gay; how are we going to market this?" But it's not an issue for me, because being out is very freeing.

Ever since I had that interview in which I said I was bisexual it seems twice as many people wave at me in the streets.

This is only going to add fuel to the fire that I'm gay. I don't really care. I'm so past the point of caring. I really don't. But I looked fantastic in Fleur's outfit!

Why is being outed such a big deal? When I find out that someone's gay, my respect for them increases tenfold.

For me, it was never a question of whether or not I was transgender. It was a question of what I'd be able to handle transitioning and having to do it in the public eye. One of the issues that was hard for me to overcome was the fear of that.

Intellectuals would be much more accepted now than in the '40s.

Some people might say my coming out after just winning the MVP award is heroic, and I understand that.

The homosexual community has more acceptance in America than it ever has, and the suicide rate is as high as it's always been.

I once had a large gay following, but I ducked into an alleyway and lost him.

Between 'Orange' with Laverne, the show 'Transparent,' and Caitlyn Jenner, obviously we're in the middle of something enormous - a transgender movement. I'm just proud to be alive during this massive shift in the world.

It's none of our business, the sexual preference of people. So, I hope if someone's thinking about it, that if they do come out as gay and are a professional football player, and it makes them happy, and it makes their life easier, then I think they should do it.

Though gay lifestyles have certainly moved into the open, there's little evidence that society has become more open in its basic attitudes or that entertainers should feel cozy in emerging from the velvet underground.

Interracial marriages were basically legalized, but nevertheless, there was a social stigma attached to them for a long time to come. I imagine that's going to be true for same-sex marriages - that people's emotional comfort level with it will not fully materialize for decades.

I just want to be known for things other than my sexuality.

Now the fact that people are saying, 'Oh my God, he's finally come out' - I was never in.

Coming out was crucial to changing attitudes about gays and lesbians: will people feel differently about abortion if they know their mother, their aunt, or their friend had one?

I walk into a restaurant, and people stare as though I've just landed from another planet. Every time I walk out in public, it's like the alien freak show has arrived. It does have its advantages. I hardly ever get bothered by the paparazzi, probably because of some of the more edgy characters I've played in movies.

Coming to the Gold Coast and being able to live as an openly gay man is really important.

When I was a kid, I don't think I even knew what being gay was, and now it's just part of our culture. It's changing so rapidly right now. It's great.

When your doctor and neighbours and child's schoolteachers know you are gay, there is no closet for you to hide in.

I had examples from a very young age of gay actors or personalities coming out in late '90s and early 2000s who faced a lot of backlash and didn't have a lot of support and risked ruining their careers.