In the final edition of LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in 2023, we will be discussing former football player Ed Gallagher. If you haven’t caught up on the other three Pride Month articles, you can find them here, here, and here.
We briefly summarized Ed Gallagher’s experience facing discrimination for being “suspected” of being gay in the NFL in last week’s article. But Ed’s story is particularly compelling, so we will go more in-depth with it.
Getting to Know Gallagher
Unfortunately, there is not that much information about Ed Gallagher’s life in general, but especially his childhood. We know Ed was born in 1957 and struggled with his identity from a young age. He never discussed his family, other than having a fear about his dad finding out in his adult years. Gallagher never felt like he fit in and started playing football in high school to give himself a label, finding a place for himself. Up until age 14, he had only thought about the fairer sex, but then he started to get crushes and think about boys.
Ed went to college at the University of Pittsburgh as an offensive tackle, playing from 1977 to 1979. His 6’3′ frame suited him well in his position. Post-college, Gallagher tried to play with the New York Jets but didn’t make it. He then made it into the New York Giants training camp but was cut because he was “under suspicion” of being gay.
Gallagher died in 2005 at age 48 of a heart condition in New Rochelle, New York. It was really the time between Ed’s short time in the NFL in 1980 and his death in 2005 that solidified his position as a permanent icon in the LGBTQIA+ football community as well as an advocate for the disabled.
Gallagher Reconciles Being Gay and an Athlete
Being both gay and an athlete, Ed was never able to reconcile the two worlds. He couldn’t be both at the same time, at least not openly. Gallagher’s identity was firmly entrenched in being a football player, and when that disappeared because he was “under suspicion” of being gay, his identity and his career were shattered. He was no longer an athlete, so now he had to wrestle with the other side of himself.
Ed Gallagher – outsports.com
In 1985, Ed Gallagher went to one of the underground gay bars in New York City with the intention of staying, not just walking in and out. The next day, he woke up in bed with another man, and there was immediate panic. On his way home, he saw an article about AIDS in the newspaper and was scared—there was a lot of uncertainty and misinformation during this period of time about HIV. Ed was terrified. He tried to hide by sleeping with women again, but he was miserable and scared of dying of AIDS and everyone finding out his secret.
There was only one option—taking his own life. Ed would go to a dam in New York City and roll over the side with the intention of dying. But he didn’t. He was the first person to survive an attempt at the dam. Surprisingly, Gallagher saved a life even in his own attempt to take his own. A teenager was there for the same reason, but Ed beat him to it, and the student didn’t take his own life and saved Gallagher’s with a phone call to 911 for help.
The former tackle would be a paraplegic after his fall. He was even more miserable and attempted to punch every nurse and doctor who came anywhere near him, so they couldn’t help him. He wanted to finish his objective. It took five months for him to have a change of heart. He almost lost his leg after developing bed heel, and for some reason that realization snapped him out of his self-loathing.
Ed Gallagher Turns Things Around
It dawned on Mr. Gallagher that if his life had been spared, maybe he had a greater purpose to live for. And so he went about finding that purpose. Ed created a non-profit organization, Alive to Thrive, which was dedicated to “promoting suicide prevention, emotional and sexual health, creativity and potential, and the free expression and rights of all individuals.” He was also a three-time author, writing about teenagers coming of age and struggling with their identity and what life was like as a gay, disabled man. He has also spoken at countless events and has his own TV show where he discusses disability and sexual orientation.
Ed participated in an interview with CBS on their “Inside Track” series with an episode in 1993 called The “Last Closet” that focused on homophobia in the sports world. He can also be found on many websites highlighting current and former football players who were in the LGBTQIA+ community. Out has him on their list of 30 football players who came out of the closet. He has been seen as a cautionary tale and an inspiration for other athletic homosexuals. He is certainly not the only player who has hid their orientation behind their role as a football player and thought ending their life was the only option after their career was over.
Thankfully, because of men like Ed Gallagher, athletes struggling with their sexuality can see a better way—an attainable way—to live their lives fully after their careers in sports. Gallagher was able to live the end of his life authentically, openly gay. Ed feels that although he’s physically paralyzed, he has never been more emotionally free—a beautiful ending to what could have been a very, very tragic circumstance.
Ed Gallagher in his later years – outsports.com
If you or someone you know is struggling, know that help is available. Speak with someone today at the 24/7 suicide and crisis hotline by dialing 988.
