US student tennis star Matt Dooley comes out as gay

US student tennis star Matt Dooley has revealed he is gay.

The 22-year-old student at Notre Dame – an independent Catholic University located near South Bend, Indiana – wrote candidly about his experience getting to grips with his sexuality in a 2,300 word first-person article for Outsports.

In the article, Dooley recalls that in September 2011 he attempted to commit suicide by overdosing on pills because he was struggling to come to terms with who he was.

“That day I wanted nothing more than to escape the anguish of coming out to my family, my friends, and, in a way, myself,” he writes. “Death was better than accepting — or revealing — that I was gay.”

In the article, Dooley goes on to explain that, having come out to his parents and a close teammate who proved very supportive,  he has now “learned to value myself and accept my sexuality as something that’s neither good nor evil, but is just an essential part of who I am.”

“I’ve learned to respect myself and expect it from others,” Dooley says.

Dooley then came out to his tennis coaches and teammates last September (2013) – on the two-year anniversary of his suicide attempt. He says that “every single member of the team and coaching staff was extremely supportive, many echoing gratitude for my honesty and, in a way, bringing the team closer together”.

Writing on Twitter after the article had been published, Dooley said: “Sharing my story has, of course, been trying at times, but if it can help just one person to accept themselves and live a more full and complete life, it will all be worth it.”

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