I am a sophomore at Bucknell University playing Division 1 Soccer. During my senior year of high school, I came out as gay. In doing so, I became very involved in fighting for the rights of the LGBT community, as well as other forms of social activism.

This past semester I published “An Open Letter to Those Who Disapprove of Homosexuality” on Outsports.com, which surprised me by receiving a fair amount of attention. I wrote this with the simple intention of starting a dialogue and bringing the discussion into a public forum.

Taboos only serve to maintain the status quo, while conversations create change. Too often we argue opposing sides without listening to the other, thus remaining stagnant and ensuring a lack of progress.

As an athlete, I have seen the worst sides of homophobia, ignorance, and derogatory and discriminatory language. But I also have witnessed the brotherhood, support and community that a team can provide. If we can move forward emphasizing those values instead of brute force, the Equal Rights Movement will be exponentially more effective.

We often compare the Equal Rights Movement to the Civil Rights Movement, yet we don’t hold ourselves to the same standards of behavior. The Civil Rights Movement was successful because of its unwavering commitment to love and nonviolence. I strongly suggest we do the same.

Jesse Klug grew up in Issaquah