Bryant University assistant coach Chris
Burns came out gay on Wednesday, making him the first openly gay
Division I men's basketball coach.
Burns discussed his sexuality for the
first time publicly in a personal essay posted on Outsports.com.
He said that keeping his sexuality a
secret resulted in pushing away family and friends.
“Slowly, piece by piece, I became
detached from everyone,” Burns said. “That's what the closet
does to you, and it did it to me in the worst way: Detaching from my
family and my best friend.”
Burns said that the Supreme Court's
June ruling striking down gay marriage bans in all 50 states was so
powerful that it made coming out a “no-brainer.”
“When I saw how powerful it was for
people, and when I had the time to sit and think about how this
affects me and has shaped my own journey in life, it became a
no-brainer,” he said.
Burns added that reaction to his coming
out has been positive.