Hampton football player Byron Perkins was a guest on ESPN SportsCenter Thursday afternoon for the network’s commemoration of Pride month, which is the celebration of the LGBTQ+ community.
Last October, Perkins made history as the first openly active gay HBCU football player. He made the announcement in a social media post that went viral.
Perkins, a defensive back, discussed his journey as well as introducing his partner to the world.
“What made it the right time was understanding that life was precious, and I didn’t want to waste any more time,” Perkins told SportsCenter’s Matt Barrie. “As [Natasha Cloud of the Washington Mystics] said before we came on, ‘A happy person is a happy player.’ In order to be a better football player, I had to understand myself and exercise being myself authentically.”
Good for you #ByronPerkins!! pic.twitter.com/phXoY3ysOf
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Perkins, in previous interviews, mentioned “wearing (and)removing a mask” and expounded on what that meant.
“I felt as if I was constricting myself,” he said. “I was unable to be free, and it was condemning who I wanted to be. Ultimately, I had to make a decision, either to keep this mask or stop trying to live up to the expectations of how other people think I should live my life.”
Fortunately for Perkins, his family, especially his mother, provided a support system that inspires and touches him to this day.
That was the most surprising part. They’ve all been right in my corner from day one,” he said. “I’m so grateful to have someone like my mother who sacrificed to raise her family.”
As for Perkins’ Hampton teammates, not much has changed as they all have the same goal in mind – competing at a high level in the Colonial Athletic Association, he said.
“These are the guys I go to war with, and for them to say, ‘We’ve known him since day one, we know his character and his work ethic,’ that in itself has been one of the most precious things in the world to me,” he said, adding that building chemistry with the Pirates has been key.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWwwIS-XxBc]
“The cohesion has been remarkable. It gives you an advantage over your opponent, just playing more relaxed. Being relaxed as an athlete plays a whole other role in your comfortability to play the game. I have to give kudos to my teammates for having my back since day one.”
Perkins’ courage will likely lead to other LGBTQ athletes being comfortable with themselves, and for those in similar situations, he has some advice.
“I would tell them don’t rush it. It’s on your time, there’s no clock or precise time. You get to decide,” he said. “I would never persuade anyone in a sticky situation to put their lives or livelihood in jeopardy. If you want to live more authentically, be a happier person, remove the band-aids, then do it, but it’s on your time.”
