Major league soccer player David Testo came out publicly this week
The latest news in the intersectional world of queer people and sports is that American soccer player David Testo has come out. Testo played D1 college soccer at the University of North Carolina as well as at the University of South Carolina, and has played in the NASL and USL (lower-level pro leagues) and in MLS.
After being released from the Montreal Impact about a month ago, Testo publicly came out. He was already out to his friends and family as well as to his teammates and coaches.
Testo’s coming out is kind of a big deal for a lot of reasons.
For one, it’s momentous when any professional athlete comes out. The fact that Testo was already out to his team (and has not indicated that there was any tension or problems stemming from it) indicates, hopefully, that internal attitudes toward queer athletes are growing more and more accepting.
Lastly, while Testo is currently not signed with a team, he is not retired and fully expects to get a contract with another team. That Testo is evidently not worried about any impact his revelation will have on his chances of getting signed with another club speaks volumes.
In his coming out statement to a French-Canadian radio station, Testo said: “I’m gay. I did not choose. It’s just part of who I am. And it has nothing to do with the talent of a soccer player. You can be both an excellent soccer player and be gay… I really regret not having said publicly earlier.”
He goes on to say that he had wrestled with making his sexual orientation public for a long time and that he regrets not thanking his partner as he accepted his team’s most valuable player award in 2009. “The one person I wanted to thank the most, I couldn’t,” he said. “I just didn’t feel comfortable at the time.”
Hopefully, Testo coming out and continuing his career will help other athletes feel ready to do the same.
