Reichen Lehmkuhl.___________
Reichen Lehmkuhl—the gay, hunky hero from CBS-TV's Amazing Race—stands firm in his belief that the first active pro athlete from one of the big four sports ( baseball, basketball, football and hockey ) to reveal he's gay will happen fairly soon, probably within two years.
'The first person [ to come out while active ] is going to open the door for a lot of other athletes,' said Lehmkuhl, 33. 'That's what is going to be the most rewarding part of whoever is the first. I understand [ Amaechi's ] decision not to come out while active because any active player who comes out is going to have to deal with a lot of backlash, even in today's NBA. Would it be more courageous to come out while still playing? Absolutely. Is it still a positive thing that John Amaechi came out after retiring? Of course.'
'Every time someone says the 'f-word,' referring to gay people or they make a public statement that they hate people, you're just not going to get away with that anymore in this day and age without creating a buzz and scandal,' Lehmkuhl said of fellow former NBA player Tim Hardaway's post-coming out comments. Hardaway's comments certainly will help shed light on homophobia, Lehmkuhl added.
NBA all-star LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers spoke with the Associated Press about Amaechi coming out. He said, 'With teammates, you have to be trustworthy, and if you're gay and you're not admitting that you are, then you are not trustworthy. So that's like the No. 1 thing as teammates—we all trust each other. You've heard of the in-room, locker room code: What happens in the locker room stays in there. It's a trust factor, honestly. A big trust factor.'
What was Lehmkuhl's response? 'To make that statement shows LeBron's lack of understanding of what it means to come out of the closet,' he said. 'You cannot say [ that ] just because someone is not out of the closet, that you cannot trust them. That just shows LeBron has a very limited understanding of what it takes to come out of the closet.'
Lehmkuhl graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, and then served five years, attaining the rank of captain before his honorable discharge when he came out. Today, he tells closeted gay military personnel to remain in the closet and wait to come out until their active service commitments are over. Otherwise, 'you're dunking yourself into a lot of hot water, red-tape and perhaps criminal and legal action,' he said.
And he tells openly gay individuals to stay away from military careers. 'The military doesn't want [ gay people ] and they don't deserve you, frankly,' he said. 'Until the military policy changes, that's my policy—and that's how I advise people on the hundreds of daily emails I receive.'
Now what about Lehmkuhl and reported boyfriend Lance Bass? Well, Lehmkuhl isn't talking. 'I don't discuss my personal relationships,' he said.
