Samuel Phillips is a gymnast for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Cornhuskers gymnastics team, and he is considered to be the only publicly out male athlete in Nebraska.
During his freshman year, Phillips came out as bisexual to his team, and now he is already in his senior year gearing up for his final season with Cornhuskers. Unfortunately, he missed the previous season due to an injury, but that didn’t stop him from excelling.
In fact, Phillips led the 2023 team as a captain, and he even earned several academic honors. In a campus interview during Pride month, the athlete opened up about feeling “lonely” at times, as he is the only out male athlete in Nebraska.
“I am the only out male athlete at Nebraska, and it’s lonely and isolating at times. But I think back to what if younger me saw me? How secure and hopeful he would be in himself if he saw an out male athlete being so involved and having a prominent role in all athletics and athletic-related departments,” Phillips stated.
He continued by sharing the importance of representation, especially for the younger members of the LGBTQ+ community, expressing:
“I choose to be a lighthouse for those younger than me but also those next to me who aren’t ready to come out and live their lives on this lit-up stage. So yes, being a positive role model is so important in this way. It’s representation, and it’s a signal that it’s OK to be yourself. It’s OK to step into these spaces being as authentically you as you can be.”
Moreover, Phillips revealed that he was “blessed” with the response of his team when he came out to them. He also noted that being out “allowed my gymnastics to get better.”
And now that we’ve gotten to know a bit more about the talented athlete and hottie that is Samuel Phillips, let’s also take a moment to admire his thirst trapping game, shall we?
Sources: outsports.com, huskers.com
