Mason Briles felt he had nowhere to turn for support.
Briles said he felt no one was in his situation and would understand.
He anonymously turned to Twitter to see if there was anyone out there who knew what he was going through.
He quickly found many people who have gone through the same thing he was experiencing.
Briles, junior in business, announced he was gay last month on Outsports.com. Before that, he was only known by the Twitter handle Closeted Athlete.
"I made the Twitter account because I really didn't know where to look for support," Briles said. "I thought I would put myself out there anonymously at first and see if I could find some guidance from people on the Internet."
A friendship between Cyd Zeigler, writer for Outsports and author in sexuality and sports, and Briles started to grow.
Stating in his article that "Briles seemed desperately far from coming out" when they first met, Zeigler said meeting other people who were in the same situation made a huge difference for Briles.
Briles agreed Outsports helped with the decision to publicly declare his sexuality.
"I used Outsports as my platform for quite a few reasons," Briles said. "Some of the main people who were helping me through this are athletes themselves, and they have either used Outsports or have connected to the people that run Outsports. I was connected through them to a support network as well."
A former fencer from suburban Atlanta, Briles said he wants to be a role model and guide for people who are in his situation.
"There was no one that was in my exact situation," Briles said. "Deep South, former athlete and in a fraternity. I wanted to put myself out there as the role model I never had so I could help out people who were in similar situations to me."
A brother of Alpha Sigma Phi, Briles also faced the daunting task of telling his fraternity brothers.
His statement came in the form of a letter.
"From the moment we are born, we are expected to conform to whatever norms society has for us," said the statement. "Anytime someone happens to be different, they are automatically labeled as such. While at first, these labels can seem incredibly cruel or hurtful, with time I have found these labels can do no more harm than they are allowed to do. With that being said, I am about to put a label on myself. It is a label I am happy to have and it is a label I will wear with pride. I am gay."
The reactions from his fraternity brothers, family members and friends have been encouraging.
"Everyone has reacted great," Briles said. "I've had nothing negative come of it at all. My parents love and support me, and my friends support me. A lot of friendships have gotten even closer since I came out."
Briles' friend Matthew Cook said he was surprised by the letter, but it does not change the way he looks at Briles.
"Mason is one of the nicest and hardest-working guys that I know, and I can honestly say that I am proud to be his friend and brother," Cook said. "He is one of those guys that I would trust with my life, and I would not be hesitant to help him with anything he needs help with."
As for advice for people who might be in his situation, Briles has a strong message for them.
"If you can't come out now or are questioning yourself, take your time," Briles said. "It happens for everyone at their own pace. There's no cut off. Live your life the way you want to live it and ultimately do what is best for you."
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