National Coming Out Day stories

Sports hunk, drag queen, pornstar and famous artist on coming out

While coming out is but a distant memory for some gays and lesbians, it remains impossible for many.

Boxing star Orlando Cruz’s recent coming out and former pro soccer player David Testo’s similar announcement last year point to positive changes in the sports world, but there are still no openly gay pro hockey, basketball or baseball players.

Ontario Catholic students recently had to fight tooth and nail to form gay-straight alliances at their schools. The word gay was just too much for some trustees and community members. But the students won their fight. And so have many others through the years, liberated by the simple statement “I’m gay.”

Xtra has been collecting coming-out stories for National Coming Out Day. David Testo talks about growing up in the south. Canadian music legend and all-round rebel Carole Pope sits down with rocker Lucas Silveira to share their coming-out stories.

Also watch stories from British artist David Hockney and pornstar Eddie Stone.




On occasion, the number of editors and other staff who contribute to a story gets a little unwieldy to give a byline to everyone. That’s when we use “Xtra Staff” in place of the usual contributor info. If you would like more information on who contributed to a particular story, please contact us here.

Read More About:
Power, Video, News, Coming Out, Canada, Sports

Keep Reading

Renée Richards at a tennis match

The complicated legacy of Renée Richards

The former tennis player broke barriers for trans athletes in 1977. Then she changed her tune
Supporters of HIV AIDS research participate in the 2025 Toronto Pride Parade

Toronto man set to be the first Canadian cured of HIV

The patient received a stem cell transplant for his cancer that acted as a “double cure” because it contained a rare genetic mutation resistant to HIV
A photo of the outside of the New York Times building in New York City

Only 1 in 5 ‘New York Times’ news stories about trans issues quote actual trans people: report

A new 'Assigned Media' report found that the 'New York Times' rarely cited trans people in coverage about trans issues
A side by side of images from On Our Backs, a lesbian magazine.

The radical legacy of ‘On Our Backs’ magazine

“On Our Backs” filled a void by authentically documenting—and celebrating—lesbian sexuality
Advertisement