Another American pro athlete comes out (talks about contemplating suicide as youth)
Okay, I know it's kind of a fringe sport compared to the dominant ones, but it's still kind of a big deal.
"The reception with which Anthony Pepe’s fellow pro bowlers, as well as many friends and family members, greeted his decision on April 24 to go public with his sexuality allayed the anxiety and fear that preceded it.
Pepe is now the second openly gay athlete on the PBA tour; Scott Norton became the first in 2011. In our podcast, he recalls the far darker hours of his life when that support was not forthcoming in the cruel halls of high school where bullies made it so hard for him to accept himself that he was not sure he wanted to live any longer.
“Growing up, I was always hiding this one big thing that I wasn’t able to express, not even to my own parents,” Pepe said. “Bowling, I guess, saved my life. If it wasn’t for bowling, and if it wasn’t for the community around the sport, I have to tell you the truth: I probably would not be here right now. That’s how much I was hurting back then.”"
http://www.bowlersjournal.com/?p=10395
