Boxing star Orlando Cruz's recent coming out and former pro soccer player David Testo's similar announcement last year point to positive changes in the sports world, but there are still no openly gay pro hockey, basketball or baseball players.

 

Ontario Catholic students recently had to fight tooth and nail to form gay-straight alliances at their schools. The word gay was just too much for some trustees and community members. But the students won their fight. And so have many others through the years, liberated by the simple statement “I’m gay.”

 

Xtra has been collecting coming-out stories for National Coming Out Day. David Testo talks about growing up in the south. Canadian music legend and all-round rebel Carole Pope sits down with rocker Lucas Silveira to share their coming-out stories.

 

Also watch stories from British artist David Hockney and pornstar Eddie Stone.