Coming Out To Play

By Robbie Rogers with Eric Marcus
Penguin Books; $17

Someone from past decades reading a coming-out memoir of today might think the younger generation of gays has it easy. This is not the case with Robbie Rogers’ Coming Out To Play, which is more classic in its descriptions of fear and shame. Rogers has played pro soccer in the U.S. and the U.K., and at the 2008 Olympics. In February 2013 he came out publicly on his blog at age 25. Coming Out To Play expands on that post, offering a look at his life before and since. By the time Rogers came out to his family, the world was looking more progressive (e.g., President Obama had recently “evolved” to support gay marriage). But Rogers was still wracked with a fear of being rejected by both his Catholic family and the sports world. Rogers’ memoir reminds us that — though the world may seem more gay-friendly than ever — anxiety over coming out persists and can still have profoundly negative effects on our lives.

By Matt Gurry