>Ryan Russell, an NFL veteran who has previously played for the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, came out as bisexual in 2019. Russell opens up about his childhood as a young black boy, where he would split himself into columns, one side straight and the other, gay. That followed him into adulthood and his professional life.

>"Though I confided in close friends and family and gave myself permission to date both men and women discreetly, I deprived myself the basic privilege of living an open life," says Russell. "That meant I had to be strategic and cautious about meeting guys or getting involved with them during the regular season. It also meant that even though I was building important friendships on my team, I couldn't be authentic or honest about who I am or what was going on in my life."

After his first season, Russell says a "well-known blogger" saw him in the background of an Instagram story of the man Russell was dating, messaged him, and threatened to shake up everything.