YPSILANTI, Mich. — Austin Hendrix thought he would be free once he got to college.
There would be no more hiding the fact he’s gay, no more denying something that is as much a part of him as the color of his eyes. He could be himself, not the muted version he’d been presenting to the world, to his friends and his teammates in Eastern Michigan University’s track and cross-country programs.
That was the plan, anyway.
“I was new here. I didn’t know anyone on the team; I didn’t know anyone on the campus at all. So nobody knew that I was gay,” says Hendrix, whose wiry frame immediately pegs him as a distance runner. “I had to make the decision on whether or not to confide in my teammates, coach, classmates, whatever, that I was gay and tell them my sexuality, or just keep it a secret.
“You want to fit in; you want to have your teammates’ respect. And a lot of people are ashamed to come out because they think their teammates will think less of them,” he says.
For Hendrix, his choice of school ratcheted up the stakes. Eastern Michigan is a Mid-American Conference powerhouse in running, with 34 titles in track and another 15 in cross-country. It has produced two Olympic gold medalists. The last thing Hendrix wanted was to cause tension or awkwardness in the locker room, or turn teammates against each other.
Or turn them all against him.
