In a world like today where marginalized communities feel pressured to express themselves due to potential backlash, Collin Martin has overcome.
San Diego Loyal FC's Collin Martin is known for being the first openly gay male soccer player in U.S. Soccer, a breakthrough in American team sports that placed a spotlight on him for quite some time.
In a previous conversation on "The Sports Kiki" podcast, the 27-year-old talked about the process of coming out as a professional male soccer player in a country where individuals within the LGBTQ community still hesitate to open up about their sexual orientation because of fear of hatred fueled by bigotry.
“I alluded to it as a living nightmare,” he said. “Growing up as a kid, especially in high school when I thought I was potentially going to have to hide this big fact that I was gay and still try to progress in sport, the last thing I wanted was anyone to know I was gay, and just have my sexuality impact my ability to play," he said.
However, San Diego Loyal FC has made sure they've had Collin's back throughout this coming out process, making a statement to the league and professional sports around the world.
No other example display their commitment to Collin more than in the fall of 2020, where the San Diego Loyal walked off the field after Martin received homophobic insults in an away match against Phoenix Rising.
“In that moment, not only was it impacting me in that someone said something to me, but my team was going to be willing to walk off the field in support of me, and completely take away our chances of making the playoffs,” said Martin on the situation.
“Obviously, it was an amazing testament of support from my teammates, but in the moment, I don’t know if ‘embarrassed is the right word, but I was shocked and it was extremely hard to be the center of attention in that moment,” Martin added.
The Maryland-native says that his time with Loyal FC has included an extremely supportive locker room where they all embraced him for who he is from the very beginning since his arrival.
“What’s been really special about San Diego — in large parts Minnesota as well — my teammates all knew I was gay for the most part when I signed with the team. From there, they were able to get to know me, and actually ask me questions, and engage with the fact that I’m gay," he said.
“It’s liberating to come out. When you’re in the closet, you’re lying and coming out is a special thing,” he said. “It’s interesting to see where fans are at. I understand they want athletes to prioritize just performing on the field and maybe assimilating to what that might look like, but I think we have some work to do until we just enjoy our private lives by ourselves," he then added.
