Beth Ebel MadiolĮvery year since first grade I wanted to quit football by the last two weeks of the season. Jake Streder (60) with his Metea Valley High School teammates. Their embrace of me was something I never expected after a year of anxiety and struggle of coming to terms with being gay. I am not the gay guy - I’m just a football player. It was worth it to get to this point with my teammates that I was just one of the guys.
Soon it was the whole team and I felt all the fear and anxiety I dealt with in the last year melt away. I was apprehensive and hoped a couple of them wouldn’t mind. I had never had an actual verbal conversation with any of my teammates about me being gay. I figured that just sending a text in our team group chat would be the best way to ask.
I get it and understand that with maturity comes the realization that gay isn’t contagious. There is absolutely a “gay by association” phobia in high school and it’s a big unspoken thing. I don’t really hang out with guy friends.
Though I am on the team, it’s still a bit awkward when you are a 15-year-old gay guy. As I was writing this story, I knew that I had to get some photos of me playing football and ask my teammates if any of them would be in a picture with me.
