He is just a year older than Corey, and lives only a couple of hundred miles away. Corey became an articulate spokesman for gay civil rights, hung out with senators and movie stars, and even appeared (wearing football pads and eye black) in an ad for the Mitchell Gold furniture company. On the bus home after a victory the players serenaded him with 'YMCA' and 'It's Raining Men' when he attended gay youth conferences and pride marches, they asked for souvenir T-shirts. Fellow players at Masconomet High School covered his back on the football field the few times opponents tried to taunt him, the team just played harder. With the full backing of his coaches, the Massachusetts high school football star came out to his teammates and received overwhelmingly strong support. Thanks to an insightful page one story in The New York Times, a positive portrayal on ABC's 20/20, and a passionate speech Corey gave at the Millennium March on Washington, the tale has achieved almost mythic proportions. From Jocks 2: Coming Out To Play (Alyson Publications, 2002)īy now, millions of Americans have thrilled to Corey Johnson's story.
