“Three kids. Three time zones. One mission …” That’s the tagline for a fantastic new blog, “Walk the Road” (with the url www.bradrobertben.wordpress.com), created and written by three gay teenage high school athletes. That’s unusual in and of itself. What makes it even more unique is that the three are not anonymous.
The three bloggers are Brad Usselman, 16, (a runner from Washington state in the Pacific time zone); Ben Newcomer, 16, (a soccer player from the Southeast in the Eastern time zone) and Robert, 17 (a soccer player from the South in the Central time zone). Robert is not using his last name since he lives in a conservative area, but like Brad and Ben he is using his photo and is comfortable telling his story. (For those wondering, I have verified all their identities).
I have been e-mailing, texting and webcamming regularly with the three since Brad first wrote me and I am very impressed by their drive, intelligence, energy and passion; they are also just fun to talk with.
For example, I asked Brad what his goals are for the blog and he replied: “One goal is to dance on ‘Ellen.’ Another one is to help the younger generations. The last goal is to meet Lady Gaga. Those can go in any order, haha.”
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They are committed to making a difference for other LGBTQ young athletes, wanting them to know they are not alone. As Ben wrote me about how easy it is for athletes to stay hidden in the closet: “Gay people who fit in shouldn’t feel like they have to just because they can.”
While there have been anonymous blogs by gay athletes, this is the first I know of where the bloggers are in high school and not hiding who they are. That alone makes their blog special and makes them more real and accessible since they are not freaked out about hiding details or of someone finding out. It will make their blog that much richer.
Read in full HERE.
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