He received support immediately from them and his family. Starting his freshman year of high school, his friends learned he was gay.

Reservations existed about attending a Jesuit university, but he was not going back in the closet. Louis University, because it provided the best opportunity for him athletically. 'Sometimes there’s not the straight allies that gay people need in the athletic department, but since coming here, I’ve had the best people support me,' says Jessee, a native of Hoffman Estates, a Chicago suburb. But he never felt like an outsider since beginning school in August. On a campus with about 290 varsity athletes, Jessee says he does not know of any other openly gay athletes. He did not hesitate to show he is gay and be photographed for the project in the university's Busch Student Center. 'I need an ally because there ARE gay athletes,' Jessee wrote. For swimmer, coming out to mom hardest part Fabulous life of an openly gay college swimmer