Byron Perkins became the first openly gay football player at an Historically Black College or University (HBCU) after publicly coming out via Instagram in 2022.
More recently, the Hampton University defensive back opened up about the reason why he decided to finally come out, sharing an inspiring message for the LGBTQ+ community. In a video interview with the We Need to Talk sports show, which was posted on TikTok, Perkins stated:
“Why did I decide to come out? Because I don’t deserve to suffer anymore.”
“I don’t deserve to chain myself to the ideas of society and consider myself invaluable because someone else said so. No,” he continued.
The athlete further expressed his unapologetically true self, stating:
“There are so many more dimensions to who I am as a person than just this one variable. And if this one variable doesn’t sit well with you, quite honestly, I don’t care.”
Moreover, Perkins kicked off this year’s Pride month strong after introducing his boyfriend JD Dunn. On his Instagram stories, he wrote:
“I don’t know a lot…
But I know I love you.”
“Happy pride, love,” he greeted his partner.
Nothing but love and respect for Perkins, tbh. <3 Also, you can watch his inspiring video interview here:
@weneedtotalk Byron Perkins made history when he became the first openly gay football player at an HBCU. #beyondlimits #pride #hbcu #football #collegefootball #pridemonth #sportstok
Gay athletes are my weakness.