• In anticipation of the upcoming Rocketman, chronicling the life of music superstar Elton John, the producers have released an official music video of the title song sung by film's star, Taron Egerton. The musical fantasy biopic lands in US theaters May 31.
• Out producer/director Greg Berlanti (Love, Simon; Riverdale; Supergirl) says the most egregious example of anti-LGBTQ bias he's seen in Hollywood was "gay executives and gay casting people who were the least likely to let me cast an actor they knew was gay in a straight part. These were the individuals who knew how important it would be."
• When Channing Tatum loses, we all win. The 'Magic Mike' star lost a game of Jenga, and so he had to post a photo of girlfriend Jessie J's choosing. She has good taste.
Ellen DeGeneres sat down with out Indiana State University football player Jake Bain, who inspired the nation with his coming out speech during a high school assembly in St. Louis, Missouri, two years ago.
Jake chats with Ellen about his coming out experience, the support he’s received over the past two years, and his hopes to inspire other athletes in college sports to have the courage to also come out.
The handsome college freshman was emotional about meeting one of his idols, saying, “Can I first just say, before I came out, I used to watch your show, like, all the time, and it means so much to me to actually be here now.”
“You’ve done so much for the entire LGBT community, and humanity as a whole,” he continued. “It just means so much to me to be on your show.”
Ellen points up the good that Jake has done by coming out and hopefully giving other college athletes the courage to come out.
“It’s a really conflicting thing to feel really proud of yourself and good at something, and then in the back of your mind have shame or carry shame around,” said Ellen.
“If everyone had the courage to do what you did, then we wouldn’t have that homophobia, we wouldn’t have that fear,” she added. “And so, you’re going to inspire other people the way I inspired you.”
On top of doing great at Indiana State (full football scholarship, don’t you know?), the good news is he’s still with his high school boyfriend, Hunter Sigmund.
The boys see each other whenever they can since Hunter goes to school hours away at the University of North Carolina. So, Hunter tagged along for the Ellen appearance.
And you knew this was coming - since Jake can’t accept gifts due to NCAA rules, Ellen gives Hunter a 6-night vacay to Fiji.
Earlier this year I reported on the huge success and popularity of then-high school senior Jake Bain of St. Louis, who had come out as gay to his high school and found widespread acceptance.
As an out athlete, the talented football player received a scholarship and spot on the Indiana State University football team.
Flash-forward to today, where ISU freshman Jake seems to thriving in his new school and with his new teammates.
Outsports’ Jim Buzinski caught up with the handsome 19-year-old who’s showing the world you can be an out athlete and thrive.
Jake tells Outsports that his life at ISU is pretty much like every other freshman.
Even when he Facetimes with his boyfriend, Hunter Sigmund who’s in his freshman year at the University of North Carolina, Bain says he doesn’t feel the need to hide his relationship.
“There are times when we’ll be in the dorms playing video games and I’ll get a Facetime message from Hunter and I don’t get uncomfortable with that,” Bain shared with Outsports. “I don’t feel a need to go into a different room. Everybody knows. A lot of the freshman I’ve been dorming with have seen Hunter and know who he is.”
In fact, Hunter has already been to visit at ISU. Jake has introduced him to fellow football players and everyone is totally cool.
“Hunter came up to Indiana State and I was walking him around campus and passed some of the football guys and introduced Hunter to them and they all treated him like they would somebody’s girlfriend,” Bain said. “They were really nice.”
It’s easy to imagine that Jake is happy to settle into the role of college freshman after a year that included coming out to the world, attending his senior prom with Hunter, and seeing his entire community support him when the virulently anti-LGBT Westboro Baptist Church attempted to picket Jake at his high school.
Even as he handled all of that with a sense of confidence that would seem way beyond that of a 19-yeear-old, Jake doesn’t seem himself so much as an activist for the LGBT community but as “someone who is willing to be themselves and show everyone it’s ok to be yourself.”
”I try and not put the spotlight on me but instead on the LGBT community as a whole,” he told Outsports. “There’s bunch of people like me, but they’re just not comfortable being out.”
And for anyone who might have worried about Jake fitting in with his new team, he says it’s been exactly the opposite.
“Football is one of those unique sports where there is a true brotherhood that is made, especially when we’re around each other for so much of the day, it gives us a lot of time to really bond with each other.”
“A lot of people assume that because you’re playing a sport like football that there’s assumption that it’s a very masculine sport, and obviously it is, but it doesn’t mean that my teammates won’t be accepting of someone who is gay. It shows how the tide is turning and shows how we have something special here.
”Football gets that hard rep but I think it creates the biggest bond out of any of the sports I have played.”
Jake goes on to share that several players during practice have approached him to let him know they support him and definitely “have his back.”
About the biggest challenge Jake seems to be facing these days is a change of position on the team. As a high school player, Jake was a running back, but his new coaches like his size and speed, so they are training him to transition to defensive back.
Jake had some trepidation about the switch, but it seems to be working for everyone.
Hunter Sigmund (L) and Jake Bain (R) in their requisite senior prom pic
For the students dancing the night away at St. Louis' John Burroughs High School senior prom, openly gay couple Jake Bain and Hunter Sigmund were nothing new to see. This was the twosome's fourth school dance together.
Sigmund, a swimmer and water polo player told Outsports, “It was my fourth school dance with Jake and I couldn’t have imagined a better way to spend our last high school dance.”
As the school's only openly gay couple, the students and faculty have treated the two athletes just like everyone else, says Bain.
“This is the second year he and I have gone together, as well as to our homecoming dance the past two years, so this wasn’t the first time,” Bain, the school’s high school football captain, said.
“We have been the only openly gay couple at Burroughs since I’ve been here, but it isn’t a problem at all at our school. People treat us the same. It is nice to be able to go to prom with whoever you want and not have to worry about what other people might think.”
When the hideously anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church haters announced they would protest Jake for the national attention he garnered as an out star football player, the school, faculty and community rallied around him.
This fall will see Jake begin his college football career for Indiana State University while Hunter heads to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as an honors student.
• With the new coming-out/coming-of-age gay dramedy Love, Simon opening this week, out director Greg Berlanti spoke candidly to NewNowNext about his own teen years as a closeted young gay:
“I can only imagine what I would be feeling right now if I was a 16-year-old watching people like Adam Rippon and Gus Kenworthy on TV.
"I wasn’t ready to come out in college or high school. I think the fear was similar, and putting on a brave face so people saw me as a happy kid next door. I had family that was close-knit, but that didn’t make me less terrified. I came out in my early 20s, around the dawn of the Internet exploding, which I think made people feel less isolated or alone."
This seems like an amazing coming out story: Jake Bain is not only a star athlete/football player at John Burroughs High School in Missouri but has already signed to play football at Indiana State University next year.
Two autumns ago, he scored three touchdowns in the state title game, but on this October day, his senior season ended unceremoniously. So the running back walked off the field, seeking solace in a hug from his boyfriend.
“I did notice that moment, and knowing that was the last game of Jake's career, I thought, 'How lucky is Jake for that?'” said John Merritt, the football coach at John Burroughs. “And what does that say about our community, that they can both express themselves without any fear?”
Jake Bain is the best athlete at his high school. He'd be the best athlete at most high schools. As a sophomore running back, he was named the Class 3 Offensive Player of the Year in Missouri. As a sophomore! And after winning the state title, he was selected team captain for his junior and senior seasons. On Wednesday, Jake signed to play college football — he's headed to Indiana State next year.
Listen to Bain and Hochman talk about his experiences in a podcast
He is openly gay.
“This is a kid who, in every traditionally stereotypical way, would not have been connected to that community,” said John Burroughs head of school Andy Abbott, “but in every authentic way, was and is.”
Jake seems like a really level-headed guy who folks naturally connect to.
It wasn't all hugs and roses though. Jake endured his share of being called slurs on the football field and at one point he received tons of hateful text messages.
But he persevered and continues to be a leader and role model.
I really encourage you to read the full profile.
Check out this package by the local NBC affiliate:
