Arts & Entertainment
Former Dallas Cowboys player Jeff Rohrer comes out as gay and engaged
The ex-linebacker is the first known NFLer to be in a same-sex marriage
(Photo via Bigstock)
Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jeff Rohrer has come out as gay and engaged to his partner Joshua Ross. This will make Rohrer the first known NFL player to be in a same-sex marriage.
Speaking to the New York Times, Rohrer admits “I’m sure there’s going to be some people out there who have a negative reaction to this and I’m fine with it.”
Rohrer, 59, was a football player in high school before playing football for Yale University. He was drafted to the Cowboys in 1982 and played for the team until 1989.
“If I had told the Dallas Cowboys in the 1980s that I was gay, I would have been cut immediately. It was a different world back then, people didn’t want to hear that,” Rohrer says.
Rohrer went on to marry a woman whom he shares two children. They have since divorced. After retiring from the NFL, Rohrer went on to pursue a career in media. Rohrer met his partner Joshua Ross, an esthetician and founder of SkinLab, at a gay bar in Los Angeles. The couple started dating in 2015.
“People are born gay, as I was, though being gay was just something that had no place during the course of my football life,” Rohrer says.“But when I got divorced, I said the hell with it, I’m going to do what I’ve always wanted to do. Then I found Josh, and began to openly live the life I was born to live.”
He says that while some people were surprised there was plenty of support.
“I’ve given at least five people heart attacks with this news,” Rohrer says. “But for the most part, many of my closest friends, including some of my former teammates with the Cowboys, could not have been more happy and supportive.”
In an interview with OutSports, Rohrer says he believes sexuality isn’t a choice.
“My experience is that people are born gay, and anyone who wants to dispute that I’d be happy to have a conversation with them, including Mike Pence,” Rohrer told Outsports. “I’d love to sit down with him.”
The couple are set to wed on Sunday in front of 150 guests at Wattles Mansion Gardens in Los Angeles.
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Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.
The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies.
Thank you to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support has enabled us to distribute the magazine free of charge. And thanks to our dedicated team at the Blade, especially Photo Editor Michael Key, who spent many hours searching the archives for the best images, many of which are unique to the Blade and cannot be found elsewhere. And thanks to our dynamic production team of Meaghan Juba, who designed the magazine, and Phil Rockstroh who managed the process. Stephen Rutgers and Brian Pitts handled sales and marketing and staff writers Lou Chibbaro Jr., Christopher Kane, Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny along with freelancer and former Blade staffer Joey DiGuglielmo wrote the essays.
The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.
We hope you enjoy the magazine and keep it as a reminder of all the many ups and downs our local LGBTQ community has experienced over the past 50 years.
I hope you will consider supporting our vital mission by becoming a Blade member today. At a time when reliable, accurate LGBTQ news is more essential than ever, your contribution helps make it possible. With a monthly gift starting at just $7, you’ll ensure that the Blade remains a trusted, free resource for the community — now and for years to come. Click here to help fund LGBTQ journalism.
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
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