Hampton University’s Byron Perkins becomes first HBCU football player to come out as gay
Hampton University football player Byron Perkins this week announced publicly that he is gay, joining a small number of Division I college football players ever to do so. He is believed to be the first from a Historically Black College and University to come out as gay publicly.
Perkins, a starting defensive back, came out this week on his Instagram page in a story he shared with Outsports.com, an LGBTQ sports news site.
Hampton head coach Robert Prunty, who declined to comment, said that as of Wednesday, neither Perkins nor his teammates have been available to the media as they prepare for their homecoming game Saturday against Richmond.
Perkins, a Chicago native who transferred from Purdue, played one of his best games in two seasons for Hampton last Saturday, with five tackles at Albany. Hampton beat Albany 38-37 in overtime to earn its first conference victory as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.
Four days later, Perkins wrote, “I will no longer be living a lie” as he announced publicly that he is gay.
“I’ve decided that I’m going to make a change, and stop running away from myself,” Perkins said in his Instagram post. “I’m gay, let it be known that this is not a ‘decision’ or a ‘choice.’ Yes, this is who I am, this is who I’ve been, and this is who I’m going to be.
“Simply put, I am who I am.”
Perkins told Outsports that he hopes his revelation will make it easier for other HBCU football players to come out.
“Especially at an HBCU, young Black gay men need an outlet,” he said. “They need a support system. There hasn’t been an out gay football athlete at an HBCU.
“I want to end the stigma of what people think. I want people to know they can be themselves. It’s about that kid who’s going to see this and think he can be himself too.”
Marty O’Brien, mjobrien@dailypress.com
