First Out Gay College Football Player’s Boyfriend Follows Suit, Comes Out To Team

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Published

February 4, 2014

Not too long ago, Connor Mertens came out as the first active college football player to be gay (well, bisexual technically.)

Merten’s told his football coach at Willamette University in Oregon that “I’m bisexual. I like dudes. I have a boyfriend.”

Well, it seems that his boyfriend, who happens to be a college baseball player, was inspired by the brave actions of his other half and has also decided to come on out of the closet.

Chandler Whitney plays baseball at Walla Walla Community College and he told Outsports his coming out story, which we are now sharing with you!

“I’d been planning to do it at some point anyway,” Whitney told Outsports, “and seeing the reaction to Conner’s story calmed me down.”
Last week when the baseball team gathered for the first practices of the new year, talk turned to stories from winter break. Because he’d spent much of the break with Mertens, Whitney felt the time was now. He stood up in front of the team, said he had contemplated whether to tell them a secret or not, and shared a “confession” he’d been holding back from them since they first met:
“I’m gay.”
The team broke into spontaneous applause. It took Whitney off-guard.
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“Being where I am in eastern Washington, it’s not the response I expected. I’m in Walla Walla, there’s not a lot of open-mindedness on the surface.”
“I didn’t necessarily expect hostility, but I expected a guy or two to feel uncomfortable or awkward. Everyone on the team shook my hand, gave me a hug and said we’re a family and they had my back. The guys I thought would feel the most uncomfortable said don’t worry about a thing; it’s not a big deal.”

Bravo, Chandler!

Congratulations to both Connor and Chandler; aren’t they the cutest?!