Meet Derek Schell, The first openly gay NCAA Division II basketball player

Well, another basketball player comes out.

22 year-old Derek Schell is a senior guard for Division II Hillsdale College. He decided to come out so he can live in the truth and not be silenced.

In his letter, he wrote:

The beginning of my sophomore year of college, the only way I felt comfortably being myself was online. I met the person that I care for most in this world, my boyfriend Kevin. We have been together for two years. I began to realize that my life was my own. There was no more time for living in the hopes of pleasing others and living up to any one person’s or any societal expectation. I had to find a balance between helping and caring for others and making my happiness a priority. I came out as gay to all my closest friends because I wanted to see who was really a true friend to me. There was nothing wrong with me. I didn’t want to be someone else’s idea of normal. To me, normal is a boring, stereotypical mold that encourages conformity and trying to fit in. I just wanted to be accepted.

Welcome, Derek.

Read the rest of his letter here