College baseball player Chandler Whitney, boyfriend of Conner Mertens, comes out

College baseball player Chandler Whitney

After seeing the reaction to his boyfriend's coming out (college football player Conner Mertens), Chandler Whitney decided he had the confidence and conviction to finally come out to his Walla Walla Community College baseball team when he returned to school from winter break.

Outsports.com has the story:

Last week when the baseball team gathered for the first practices of the new year, talk turned to stories from winter break. Because he'd spent much of the break with Mertens, Whitney felt the time was now. He stood up in front of the team, said he had contemplated whether to tell them a secret or not, and shared a "confession" he'd been holding back from them since they first met:

"I'm gay."

The team broke into spontaneous applause. It took Whitney off-guard.

"Being where I am in eastern Washington, it's not the response I expected. I'm in Walla Walla, there's not a lot of open-mindedness on the surface."

Congrats to Chandler Whitney! For your courage and conviction to be yourself. You inspire a LOT of young people out there.

Forward.