Former college athlete issues "A Call for All"

Akil Patterson told his coming out story as a former college football player at Maryland, anonymously, through Outsports in October 2010. He attached his name to the story, becoming fully and publicly out, in January 2011.

In the past couple weeks, he has become more vocal with his advocacy, starting a blog and posting videos to further tell his story.

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“A Call for All”

I make this call to all, but mainly for the LGBT youth and athletes in this world. I make this call a challenge if you will to start living life as one can best do; A call where we are active in working with one another and for one another. To better the lives of those who will fallow and those who are leading the pack.

We are athletes on the field of war and each day we battle against ourselves, our teammates, others who just don’t get it. It’s not a war won in a night after we have given it our all but a war won with courage and strength from within and without. We cannot keep our words to our self we must share them with others and start conversations that others would not want us to start. Oppression is of the mind and not of the body we can only keep us down and in the dark. As a song from the 90’s says “come into the light where you belong”. Let you lead a charge from one side of the country to the other and let no mortal man stand in your way as to progress into the light.

So I issue the challenge that if you take it you hold yourself to higher standards than you would of anyone else. You are making a vow to help all in need no matter what the look like on the outside, to stand with a brother or sister who is being bullied no matter race or religion. I ask that you stand up for the weak when they are being pushed down by words of hate and words of disrespect. I ask that you show respect for those who may dress different and those who don’t act within the same walls society has made.

As I make this call this challenge as you will to stand for something I ask that you become the change you are looking for. I ask that you show your face that you speak with a voice and that you of all people let the world know that you aren’t different you are equal in every way and that you are the change that this world has needed for so long. Be the change, Make the call and stand for who you are as others can only fight so long for you before you are to fight for yourself!

Remember

“Nothing changes, if nothing changes”

Be Well,

Akil S. Patterson

blog: https://akilpatterson.wordpress.com/
e-mail: Greco4life@hotmail.com
Youtube: 60killer
Twitter: @akilpatterson
Facebook: Akil Patterson