LA Galaxy player Robbie Rogers graces the pages of i-D magazine for a new feature lensed by photographer Beau Grealy. Posing for black & white images, Rogers is styled by Nicolas Klam. Discussing the lack of openly gay professional soccer players in the United Kingdom, Rogers shares his experience before coming out.
Rogers shares, “Although I think this is changing, I felt a pressure to live up to this ‘straight, masculine athlete stereotype.’” He explains, “The locker room is like no place on Earth. It’s a place where a lot of banter is thrown around, where men act as kids, where athletes prepare for battle. Before I came out, I heard the most ridiculous homophobic things being said there. What was said in locker rooms over the years made me think that a gay athlete couldn’t exist.”
Since coming out, Rogers says, “The guys that said things like, ‘being gay disgusts me’ are the same ones that have showed me so much love and support. It made me realize how people could get caught up in banter and that athlete pack mentality.”
