Meet Jeremy - he’s 17, a football player, a runner, and by the way, he’s gay. But as an athlete in a conservative town, he’s not quite out yet.

Published on outsports.com and keeping Jeremy’s identity a secret, this article is a first-person account of what it’s like to walk in this guy’s shoes. Sometimes it’s tough. Some people have tried to out Jeremy for selfish reasons or have reacted poorly to learning that he’s gay, reactions that, while unfortunate, are all too common.

But it’s not all bad, either. Jeremy explains how he’s out to a good-sized group of people who have been mostly supportive. He’s figuring out who his real friends are this way, too. Most importantly, though, he’s absolutely not ashamed to be who he is.

We have a serious problem with gays and sports in this country, as some people seem to think the two just don’t mix (still waiting on an NFL player to come out). People like Jeremy are around to show us that it’s perfectly okay to like football and like guys at the same time. Read the article - it’s short, sweet and certainly relatable.