OUT - Robbie Rogers: The History Maker

For many, Robbie Rogers was probably not a household name, especially in LGBT households. Then, on February 15 of this year, Rogers made a dramatic announcement on his website: He was gay, and he was quitting soccer. These points were not unrelated as no male American athlete in a major sport had come out while still playing professionally. Then in May, Rogers reversed course on one of those points and signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Now, for OUT magazine’s August Sports Issue, Rogers talks with OUT contributor Matthew Breen about his journey from a closeted soccer player to LGBT role model.

 

Rogers was no longer just a retired soccer player; he was a history maker – just six months after coming out to his “conservative, Catholic, close-knit” family. “Growing up, I learned that being gay was a sin,” he tells OUT. “It was not something you could be, and it wasn’t something my family would talk about much – it was obviously something that scared the shit out of me.”

 

That feeling had been scaring him from an early age. “I felt different for a long time, but when I was 14 and going to high school, I was like, Oh, OK. This is what’s going on: I’m gay. And then it was, I’m good at soccer as well…there are no gay soccer players,” Rogers remembers. In his head, he became good at keeping these two identities separate. “I just repress being a gay male, as awful as that sounds,” he says. “I look back now and think, Gosh, that’s sad. TO think there are other kids [feeling] like that is really scary, but I just felt that soccer was so important in my life that I was willing to do it.”

 

Rogers did keep is soccer and personal lives separate for some time. He admits, to keep up the persona, he dated girls for some time. “Before I became true to myself I dated girls. I very much acted the part as a straight footballer, which is pretty sad, but I felt like I had to mask that side of me,” he notes.

 

Now, Rogers has been dating guys, but don’t let soccer to be the impetus for meeting him. “In London I dated a guy for a few months. He’s till one of my good friends, but its’ been tough to meet people in West Hollywood,” he says. “It has to happen in an organic way, where someone introduces himself and is genuine and doesn’t want to talk about soccer straight out the gate. When I started dating this guy in London, I just went up to him. I’m sure I’ll meet someone in a random place – the grocery store or wherever.”

 

Through the course of his long coming out journey, Rogers has now learned to embrace his role as a spokesperson for those who are now struggling with coming out. “I want to help people, especially kids who feel the same way I did; it makes me sick to remember the way I felt and to think that they feel the same way. Now I have this platform that hopefully I can use to reach people in a positive way.”

 

Read OUT’s full Robbie Rogers cover storyand find the other athlete profiles by clicking here.

Out Magazine Names Essential Gay Films

Out magazine asked its favorite directors, entertainers, and artists – including Dustin Lance Black, Lee Daniels, John Waters, and Margaret Cho – to help compile its list of 50 Essential Gay Films.

OUT's Ultimate Sex and Love Survey

The results are in. Having polled 1,000 readers (with every state in the union represented) OUT’s first comprehensive sex and relationships survey reveals some startling results!

Read the complete survey results here:

http://www.out.com/features/2011/02/firstannualsexsurvey/index.asp

Tom Ford and Richard Buckley - A Love Story

Tom Ford was a shy 25-year-old when he met magazine editor Richard Buckley. 

It took him the length of an elevator ride to decide he wanted to marry him. 

Read all about it in 'The Love Issue' of Out magazine, out now.

The New Generation

See the faces and hear the words of Out.com's The New Generation photographed by Kevin Amato.

Cheyenne Jackson proves it pays to be gay in Hollywood

With a plum new role on 'Glee' and a repeat gig on '30 Rock', Cheyenne Jackson puts to rest the old Hollywood axiom that being gay doesn't pay in the latest issue of Out.

Can Nicki Minaj bridge the gay rap gap?

Kanye West even recently proclaimed that she may become the second-biggest rapper of all time, behind Eminem. Nicki Minaj, the 25-year-old music sensation, has already stolen the spotlight on songs with pop heavyweights Mariah Carey and Usher, all while playing hip-hop’s most dangerous game: sexuality roulette. With snappy, bi-curious lyrics and out-of-this-world costume changes, Minaj is soaring in the most peculiar way.

She even muses about hitting the road with her mentor, Lil Wayne. “Normally, Wayne probably wouldn’t have gay guys coming to see his shows much, but they’re definitely a big part of my movement, and I hope they’d still come out and see me,” she says. “I think that will be really, really interesting, just to start bridging that gap. We’ll see.”

Does she have what it takes to change rap’s historically homophobic landscape forever? Check out her interview in the new issue of OUT to find out.

Here Media Earns Three ASME Cover Award Nominations

Here Media recently received three prestigious 2010 Best Cover Contest nominations from the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME). ASME named two Advocate covers and one Out cover as finalists.

The Advocate’s September 2009 cover, featuring President Obama in tribute to the famed Shepard Fairey image with the tagline “Nope?” is a finalist in the “Most Controversial” category. Additionally, The Advocate’s February 2010 cover, depicting a donkey sticking its tongue out with the tagline “Gays to the DNC: Kiss My Ass,” is a finalist in the “News & Business” category. Out was named a finalist in the “Fashion & Beauty” category for its February 2010 cover, the magazine’s Annual Swimsuit Issue.

The finalist covers are now posted on Amazon.com for voting by the public. Amazon visitors will have 30 days to choose the Best Cover from six finalists in each of 12 categories as determined by the ASME judges. After each category winner is determined, visitors will have the opportunity to choose the Best Cover of Year from the category winners.

Get to Work, Get to Giving

The new online campaign “Get to Work, Get to Giving” presented by the Levi’s and Out is a new program that offers visitors the opportunity to effect change in the world by connecting them with local and national charities. Visit “Get to Work, Get to Giving” today at .

“Get to Work, Get to Giving” celebrates community and diversity and encourages Out.com readers to build a better tomorrow. Out.com visitors can navigate an interactive map and easily identify profiled charities in their area - so far The Matthew Shepard Foundation is the only one listed for Colorado. By clicking the map’s geographic markers, readers can gather more information about a spotlighted charity and inquire about how to become involved. The “Get to Work, Get to Giving” program urges readers to give back by donating their time, money, or both.

Additionally, the site allows individuals to upload information about their favorite local charities. If a charity has not yet been profiled, readers can simply click the “Add Your Favorite LGBT Organization” button to provide information about and how to become involved with their local organizations. This robust content area informs, inspires, and challenges Out.com readers to invest in their community.

Out celebrates the Modern Family of Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, the breakout star of 'Modern Family,' opens up to Out about going public with his sexuality, the responsibility of his 'Modern Family' role, and a few of his own crushes.

Out's gay 'City Guides' app

Out recently announced the launch of its new mobile application. iPhone users may now download Out’s “City Guides” directly to their Apple mobile device free of charge.

“With the inside scoop on where to eat, drink, shop, and play, Out’s new app is like a great date—witty, charming, connected, and, best of all, available. Who doesn’t want that?” said Out Editor in Chief Aaron Hicklin.

Out magazine’s “City Guides” provides valuable information advising users about the best local gay bars, restaurants, shops, nightlife, and hotels. Out created the “City Guides” by scouring each city and interviewing the top party hounds, retail therapists, and culinary elites. From hot parties to chic lounges, Out now offers the most extensive guide to great gay places.

Ewan McGregor in OUT

Scottish actor Ewan McGregor has never been afraid to take chances, drop his trousers, or kiss a boy. Now he comes clean to OUT about playing gay in his new movie 'I Love You Phillip Morris'.

Read the full interview here.

2009 OUT 100: Chaz Bono

Out magazine is excited to start rolling out its annual 'OUT 100' issue, recognizing the year’s most influential people affecting the LGBT community.

This first sneak peek is a fantastic photo of Chaz Bono, shot by Jason Bell. For this year’s 'OUT 100', the magazine dubbed Chaz Bono "Most Likely to Reinvent." The only child of Cher and Sonny Bono, Chaz has a long history in queer activism. After coming out in the April 1995 issue of The Advocate, he went on to write for the magazine, serve as a high-profile spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, became entertainment media director for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and penned two books centered on LGBT issues. After several years under the radar, Bono broke news in June that he had begun FTM gender reassignment surgery.

Out interviews Hollywood hotties Nicholas Hoult and Tom Ford

Out magazine’s most recent cover features a grown up Nicholas Hoult, best known for playing the young Marcus in the Hugh Grant starrer 'About a Boy'. Now, Hoult dazzles in designer Tom Ford’s directorial debut, 'A Single Man', co-starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. Read the entire interview here.

Additionally, Out Editor in Chief Aaron Hicklin spoke to Tom Ford about the genesis of his debut feature and you can find out what Ford had to say right here.