Collin Martin told his parents, Gerard and Roberta, on Monday that he was going to publicly announce himself as gay this week, making him the only openly gay men’s professional athlete in the five major U.S. sports.

They went over the pros and cons of such a groundbreaking announcement and determined the positives far outweighed the negatives. Roberta was happy that he was going to live more like his “authentic self,” Collin said, while Gerard wanted to make sure Collin was doing it professionally, looping in leaders within the club. On Friday, the 23-year-old midfielder for Minnesota United made the announcement, which was timed to the Loons’ Pride Night in support of the LGBTQ community during their 1-0 loss to FC Dallas at TCF Bank Stadium.

“I have been out as a gay man for many years to my family and friends, and this includes my teammates,” Martin wrote. “Today, I’m proud that my entire team and the management of Minnesota United know that I am gay. I have received only kindness and acceptance from everyone in Major League Soccer and that has made my decision to come out publicly much easier.”

That message received 60,000 “likes” on Twitter, more than 12,000 retweets and a bevy of other well-wishes as of Friday night. “There have been some hateful things, but I’ve been amazed at how supportive it has been,” Gerard Martin told the Pioneer Press. “But as a parent you worry.”

Martin, of Chevy Chase, Md., is the second Major League Soccer player to publicly come out as gay, following the Los Angeles Galaxy’s Robbie Rogers in April 2013. Rogers’ announcement came during a year-plus span when the NBA’s Jason Collins and the NFL’s Michael Sam also announced they are gay. Collins, Sam and Rogers have since retired.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber offered this statement: “We admire Collin’s courage, and are proud of him and of the support from the soccer community.”

Minnesota United’s principal owner Bill McGuire heard of Martin’s plans while out to dinner with coach Adrian Heath on Thursday night. “I’m personally happy and real proud that our players are all supportive because I think it’s indicative of the kind of people they are,” McGuire said before Friday’s game. “We think this is the right thing.”

Athlete Ally, an advocacy organization for the LGBTQ and sports communities, knew Martin’s news was coming but that didn’t stop “screams of joy” within their seven-person office once it was released Friday morning.

“He is making such a powerful statement and it’s incredibly inspiring and brave,” said Anne Lieberman, Athlete Ally’s director of policy and programs.

“There is still a serious barrier to LGBTQ inclusion in sports, and there is not really enough proactive commitment on the part of either individual athletes that are allies or teams, leagues, coaches around LGBTQ inclusion,” Lieberman said. “That is evidenced when it’s a major news story when an athlete comes out, period, male or female.”

Leiberman pointed to issues of NFL players have had kneeling during the national anthem as an example of consequences when people let their views become public.

“We see that there is discrimination any time a player takes a ‘political stance,’ ” Lieberman said. “… And folks that are queer, our very identities and our existence, can be political to some people, and that can be a threat.”

Lieberman said there’s also concern for professional sports teams and their relationships with sponsors when a political issues arise.

“Never thought of it,” McGuire responded. “This is a human statement; this isn’t a political statement.”

Martin — who has played six seasons in MLS, four with D.C. United and two with the Loons — went on to encourage others who play pro sports to “have confidence that sport will welcome them wholeheartedly.”

After the game, he elaborated: “I think there are definitely some more professionals out there that have been in my situation. I’m not here to tell them what to do because they operate on their own timeline, but I think we still have some improvement to make. It’s crazy to think I’m the only gay man in the five major league sports in America.”

Martin came out to friends, his four siblings and his parents, in that order, about two years ago when he was with D.C. United. “Our reaction was thankful that he finally told us about being gay and supportive,” Gerard Martin said. “We told him simply that we loved him. It was a supportive message and one of love.”

Gerard Martin also made his support public with a tweet Friday: “Collin proud of you and what you stand for. Love dad”

As part of Pride Night, the Loons had many festivities and displays of support to the gay communities when they played FC Dallas Friday night. The Loons wore jerseys with rainbow-colored numbers. Related Articles Loons’ late rally falls short in 2-1 loss to Columbus Crew

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Martin has played in six games this season, including three starts. He was part of the starting lineup and played 64 minutes in Minnesota’s 3-2 loss to Colorado on Saturday. He did not play in Friday’s game but admitted he wanted to get into the game a little bit more given his personal news.

“It was crazy, overwhelming, but in a good way,” Martin said. “I felt love and appreciated and supported. It was a special day for me.”

Athlete Ally hopes to partner with Martin in future initiatives and help pave the way for others to feel comfortable sharing they’re gay. “There is still so much work to be done,” Lieberman said, “and he really is an incredible role model.”