Michael Sam, First Openly Gay NFL Player, Engaged to Boyfriend
In February last year, NFL player Michael Sam made headlines for being the first in the league to admit to being openly gay.
Almost a year later, Sam has another piece of news - he's engaged!
According to a source for Page Six, Sam and his boyfriend, Vito Cammisano, got engaged during a vacation in Europe, just in time for his 25th birthday on Wednesday, Jan. 7. The couple, who has been documenting their travels to Spain and Italy via social media, shared photos of themselves at the Roman Coliseum and from Vatican City, Sam captioning one of the photos with, "What a beautiful view from the top of St. Peter's Basilica!!! Happy 25th birthday to me #vatican #Italy #birthday"
Sam was named GQ's man of the year in December, and his boyfriend has been there for him for a long time. Sam opened up to Out Magazine in July that he and his partner met through mutual friends in college, but it wasn't until two years later, when their paths crossed again that they fell in love. He shared, "Everyone knew Vito was gay, so we couldn't even be seen together. There was a lot of climbing out of windows."
However, it was his boyfriend who inspired him to come out in public. Sam said, "Vito was really the person who showed me I had to do it. I wanted us to be comfortable."
His coming out hit international headlines in May, as the Daily Mail recalled, when in a live televised program on ESPN, Sam was told that he has been drafted by the St. Louis Rams, and he kissed Cammisano emotionally in celebration of the good news.
The moment was received with joy, but still, the news outlet added, many others took it with anger and even hatred, with some people saying that it was inappropriate for family viewing.
That did not deter Sam from kissing his boyfriend in public again as they were photographed locking lips again after he was named GQ's man of the year.
And while rumors have been going around that the league is not keeping Sam in teams for long because of his sexual orientation, he does not believe that this is the case, taking the issue to Twitter, saying, "Despite what headlines you may read, I've never said and have never believed that I am being kept out of the league I know I have talent to play in the NFL and I look forward to getting an opportunity once again to prove that I can help a team win."
Other than that, it seems that things are looking up for Sam. Congratulations to him and Cammisano for the upcoming nuptials.