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This Gay What Would You Do? Scenario Brought Adam Rippon to Tears

What would you do if you saw a young, queer athlete being told to stay in the closet?

Taylor Henderson

Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!

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Taylor Henderson

cornbreadsays

July 14 2020 12:41 PM EST

May 26 2023 12:35 PM EST

If you saw a young baseball player being pressured by his coach to stay in the closet to protect his chance for a professional career, what would you do?

That's the question of this week's episode of ABC's What Would You Do?with host John Quiñones.

Just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court passed legal protections for LGBTQ+ workers all over the country, the staged reality series tests how people behave when they think no one is watching, and out Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon is this week's guest star!

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"A high school student is out for a meal with his coach after baseball practice. After building up the courage, the young man finally tells his coach he’s gay and says he wants to come out to his teammates, too," reads the episode's description. "The coach advises the student not to come out, saying it would ruin his chances of becoming a professional baseball player. Rippon watches with Quiñones behind-the-scenes and reflects on his own experiences as the first openly gay Winter Olympian to represent Team USA and to win a medal for the United States."

Seeing one woman encourage the staged baseball player to be courageous and follow his path brings Rippon to tears, and he talks about his own struggle with coming out, overcoming the fear of ruining his career, and why being himself was worth it for him.