Kyle Neyer may not have concrete plans for his career after graduation from the University of Cincinnati this spring. But the 23-year-old Cincinnati native knows one thing is for sure: his contribution to the UC Athletic Department will extend beyond the sport of track and field.
Neyer began his senior year with a goal to support and encourage other gay and lesbian athletes on their journeys in Cincinnati. He took time to talk with
Soapbox about the inspirational product of his efforts—the region's first
"You Can Play" video in support of LGBT athletes.
Watch the video
here.
Q: Why did you choose to come to the University of Cincinnati?
A: I chose UC because of the undergraduate program
Lindner Honors PLUS. I was set on going out to school in California at USC, but I could not pass up the opportunities that Lindner Honors PLUS could provide me. Lindner Honors PLUS is an honors business program that focuses on retaining the top students from the Cincinnati area. It is a five-year program with a full ride, international trip, Honors curriculum, co-op and numerous leadership experiences. I majored in Marketing in undergrad and am about to finish up my Masters of Science in Marketing.
Q: Describe the environment at UC as an openly gay student and athlete.
A: Being openly gay at UC is a relatively new experience for me. I did not come out until September of last year. I convinced myself to stay in the closet because I was a leader on our team, and those kinds of people weren't "supposed" to be gay.
I had known teammates who were in the closet and saw the pain that they went through of living a double life through college, so I finally decided it was not worth it to me. I knew that my team, family and friends would accept me and understand that this was just another part of me and did not change who I was. UC is an extremely diverse campus and being openly gay is very well received and respected.
Q: What obstacles did you/do you face?
A: The biggest obstacle for me was being able to put my pride aside and finally be open about who I was. It is not easy to put your life on display for everyone to judge and critique, especially when it is different than most around you.
Once I realized that being "normal" and like everyone else was not all that is made up to be, I was able to open up and finally be proud of who I was.
Other than coming out, the biggest obstacles I have had to overcome are standing up against homophobic language and phrases. Unfortunately, culture today has become so ingrained with using terms like "gay," "no homo" and "fag." At first I would just try to not let it bother me, but I have now made it a point to stand up against this.
Racial slurs are looked down upon and people know these should not be said, so it shouldn't be any different with LGBT offensive phrases. Again, it is so ingrained in our culture that even my closest friends and teammates use them and it has taken me being willing to take stand and not allow it.
Q: What inspired the video and your involvement?
A: I was inspired to make the video to ensure that athletes did not spend their years in the closet like I did. Athletes needed to know that not only were their other LGBT athletes at UC, but that their coaches, team and staff fully supported them as well.
I shared this dream with a fellow LGBT athlete, Emily Hayden, about wanting to make a difference for all LGBT athletes in the future. We knew that we would have to step up and essentially put our lives on display to get this difference made.
Walking into a meeting with your athletic director to talk to him about LGBT awareness and acceptance is always going to be nerve-wracking, especially when you are doing it as an openly gay athlete.
So, in short, it was mine and Emily's dream to ensure that any athletes, past, present or future, knew that being LGBT is something to be proud of and not to hide.
Q: Who supported you in the project?
A: We had overwhelming support from everyone at UC, honestly. We are blessed with having our new AD Whit Babcock, who after the first meeting was 100 percent on board and willing to do anything to make this happen. He was really the biggest support, because if your AD announces they are making a video to promote LGBT athletes, it resonates. Everyone from the video staff, coaches, administrators and athletes jumped at the opportunity to help us with it.
Q: Why is making this video—this statement—so important to you and to other athletes?
This video is so important because it lets LGBT athletes know that there is a place for them in Division 1 athletics. A lot of times, these athletes will live two lives—where they are open and out to their family and friends, but just don't talk about these things around their team—which is not okay.
LGBT athletes should feel totally comfortable with their lives and not be afraid to talk about it. Brotherhood among teammates is crucial toward success, and this is not possible if you are always holding a major part of your life back or afraid to talk about it.
Q: What has been the reception so far from family, friends, other athletes and school staff?
A: It has been shared by almost every group on campus after about only a week's time. Even our past athletes who are now in the pros have taken notice.
The Texans' Connor Barwin posted about the video on Twitter the day it launched, showing his immense support for the cause. I believe it reached 4,000 views after only two days, which is beyond amazing. The university president, student body president and others have posted multiple times about the video and have personally contacted me to let me know how proud they are.
Q: What do you hope to get out of the You Can Play project involvement?
A: All that I hope to get out of the You Can Play involvement is to not let it end here. This is a major first step, but there is a lot of work that still needs to be done.
My hope is that all athletes at UC are able to feel equal regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender and more.