by Mitchell Harjo (Outsports.com)
Mitchell Harjo rowed at Syracuse for four years ending in 2021. Syracuse University Athletic Department
‘I had blinded myself out of fear of not being accepted into a community when the only person not accepting of me was myself,’ Mitchell Harjo writes.
The night I received my acceptance letter to Syracuse University was one of the most exciting, joyous and freeing moments of my life. While the thought of moving across the country to a place I had never been made me nervous, I had never felt more proud of myself.
Starting college on the opposite side of the country, away from my friends and family in Seattle, knowing no one but the names of my coaches and roommate, was very intimidating. What I thought was going to be the perfect opportunity for growth soon turned into an intensified apprehension of being outed as gay or not fitting in with the rest of my recruited freshmen class.
During the second weekend of college in 2017, the senior class of guys on the rowing team, along with our team captains, held a BBQ, inviting everyone over to a house to mix and mingle and break the ice.
It was here where I met one of my teammates who was a year above me and already out and living his best life true to himself.
With a smile on his face and a laugh that could be heard across the room, he was everywhere, greeting and catching up with everyone on the team. At this point in my life, I had never met someone like him, let alone in an athletic environment, and I had no idea what to expect.
However, his presence on the team gave me a sense of relief. I got to preview how everyone on the team treated and interacted with him. It also took away from there being a spotlight on me while knowing I had someone I could reach out to and confide in if needed.
Mitchell Harjo, front, with his Syracuse teammates.Courtesy of Mitchell Harjo
Unfortunately, old habits die hard, and with all the uncertainty of it still being my first semester of freshman year, all I wanted was to bond with my teammates and fit in. Although I admit, as much as I tried to be discreet, nothing could keep me from occasionally blasting Fergie, Nicki Minaj, or Beyoncé over my speakers.
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Reposted from Outsports. To read the full article go to: https://www.outsports.com/comingout/2023/10/13/23913285/gay-college-rower-syracuse-mitchell-harjo-coming-out
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