This past Tuesday, Someday Books released Fearless: Portraits of LGBT Student Athletes, a personal memoir and photography book created by American artist Jeff Sheng. With a touching afterword essay by out professional NBA basketball player Jason Collins, the book chronicles Sheng's experience as a closeted high school athlete and features 202 portraits of LGBT student athletes who have come out to their teammates.
Taken over the last 13 years, the photographs in Fearless are all very different from one another. Not only does the book highlight athletes from different sports including tennis, hockey, basketball, soccer, and skiing, but also it features athletes of different races, ethnicities, and sexualities. In addition, the photographs were taken at over 70 venues across the United States and Canada, including the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
But despite these differences, the one thing that these athletes all have in common is their strength. Certainly, they are all physically strong, but perhaps more important is the devotion to their respective sports and the bravery it takes to declare oneself an LGBT athlete. Sheng said:
"While I know that today, I should be celebrating my book launch…today [is] really about the athletes. [It is] about recognizing the 202 LGBT student athletes who were able to come out at such a young age and be incredible role models for us all. It's why I want to make today about them, and not about me."
Check out several of the eight cover images below, and be sure to visit the Fearless Bookstore to order your copy!
