Brian Sims

On October 27, 2010 Brian Sims spoke at UNC Charlotte. Sims made history as the only openly gay NCAA football captain. Sims was a defensive lineman at Bloomsburg University where he was the team captain in his senior year. Sims will bring his incredible story to UNC Charlotte to inspire others to achieve their best by speaking to their individual truths without fear or intimidation.

As a gay man in the hyper-masculine sport of football, Sims felt the need to hide his sexuality. His greatest fear was to reveal his sexual orientation to his teammates. In 2000, Sims suspected that a fellow student was going to tell one of his teammates Sims was gay. Brian Sims decided to be proactive and revealed his sexual orientation to one of his teammates. At 6-feet, 260 pounds, Sims didn't fit the mold that many of his teammates had for gay men. The news slowly trickled throughout the team. He received total support from his teammates as he led them to the Division II National Championship Game.

Brian Sims was the fourth speaker for OUTSpoken, an annual LGBTQ speaker series at UNC Charlotte. OUTSpoken brings a prominent speaker to campus every fall to discuss LGBTQ issues.