Bradley Kim in the locker room (Photo courtesy of Bradley Kim/USAF).
In honor of Pride Month 2025, we will honor Bradley Kim, a former Air Force Academy football player. He came across our radar when he came out to his team and the public in 2018. We have discussed college football players who have come out in prior Pride Month articles here.
It’s an incredibly brave and meaningful thing to do for anyone, especially someone who plays football. Being a member of the historically notoriously homophobic US military, particularly a football player in the military, feels like the stakes could not be any higher. Bradley Kim made history with his choice to come out in that environment. Let’s get into his story!
A Little Childhood Background
We have less information on Kim’s background vs some of our NFL players who have a thoroughly documented history due to fame associated with being professional. However, we will get into what we do know. Kim was a three-year starter and captain of his high school football team, and also was a track and field star. According to his Instagram his full name is Bradley Kekoa Kim. Kim is German, Korean, and Hawaiian, and hails from a small suburb outside of Seattle.
Calling Sammamish, WA a small suburb doesn’t quite give it justice. It may only be 20 miles from Seattle, but it feels more like 200 miles. As a native Washingtonian this author can confirm that sans Seattle the majority of the state is mountains and trees. Sammamish is no exception. Just under 60,000 people live in the city. Coming out in that environment could not be any different from doing so in Seattle.
High school Years
Kim was raised in a religious, military family in a majority-white city that runs on the more conservative side. That’s not exactly an environment ripe for coming out publicly. He even went to prom with a girl, trying to uphold the status quo.Bradley described his desire to want the white picket fence, wife, and suburban life situation. However, that wasn’t in the cards for him. He describes how that realization made him feel as a teen: “I hid away a huge part of who I was for most of my adolescence because I hated myself for being different.”
Kim didn’t even think he would make it to twenty years old. Being gay was one reason for that for him. The Trevor Project has some sobering statistics about LGBTQ+ youth’s struggle with their mental health here. LGBTQ+ youth are four times more likely to commit suicide, 1.8 million LGBTQ+ youth contemplate suicide a year, and at least one of these youth attempts suicide every 45 seconds.
The social support of the family unit has a direct impact on a young person’s decision to choose life. High social support at home reduces the rate of attempted suicide by half in comparison to those who felt low and moderate support. Protecting our vulnerable youth starts at home.
Military Man
Bradley Kim came from a military family. All three of his brothers and his father attended a military academy, including one brother who also went to the Air Force. The high school player was anxious about entering the military but went anyway with the urging of his brothers. The homophobia in the US military is a long-standing tradition; the nightmarish historical “don’t ask, don’t tell” era created a hostile culture that lives on. We won’t even focus on the pre-1994 military homophobia. Kim was brave coming out in 2018 – the first person to be openly gay while attending a service academy.
Kudos To The Air Force
We give credit where credit is due. This story could have ended a very different way if Kim’s coming out was met with hostility. Finally a young adult, Kim couldn’t take the feeling of pretending to be someone he wasn’t any longer. He was also motivated by his heart for others: “The biggest reason I want to share this is to be able to reach people who are in similar situations struggling with the same things I have struggled with. I want to be that example for kids that you can be gay, you can pursue your dreams, and you can have an athletic career.” What a powerful message!
Kim came out in steps, which makes complete sense. First he reached out to former high school teammates, some Air Force teammates, his parents, his coaches, and people at the academy not affiliated with football. Other athletes who came out as gay, like college soccer player Sam Johnson, former college football player Conner Mertens, and fellow high school athlete and baseball player Alejandro Graterol, helped guide Kim through the process.
Before coming out publicly via social media, Kim came out to his fellow defensive back teammates. Maybe because he works the most closely with his fellow defensemen, he felt they should hear it first from him. When he told the defensemen, they literally did a standing ovation. They thanked him for feeling they meant enough to tell them personally. We’re not crying, you’re crying. Kim has only heard positive stories so far from fellow athletes who have come out. People have been accepting, but the fear that Kim’s physical safety is never guaranteed is something that can’t be overlooked in a place like the military. It was a brave choice for multiple reasons.
How The Story Ends (So Far)
Kim’s dream of being on a Division 1 football team didn’t last long. The safety tore his labrum during basic training his freshman year, which significantly cut down his football play. After sophomore year on the team, Kim was not medically cleared to play again and had to move on to other ventures. It’s not clear how long Kim was in the service, but it appears he isn’t anymore.
Most recently, Kim has been living his life following his passions. His Christian faith inspires him, and his love of music guides him. Yes, Bradley Kim is an indie-pop singer and songwriter. His experience in life, especially his heartbreak after a 3.5-year relationship came to a close, fuels his music. As most 24-year-olds do, Kim felt he would never be in love again. Writing and performing music is therapeutic to Kim—his music truly comes from the heart.
The athlete’s love for music may have come from a ukulele prom proposal to a girl, but he probably appreciated his second, much bigger performance in 2021 when he opened for Dermot Kennedy in Indianapolis in front of 7,000 people. In 2023, he released his five-song EP “Starting Over.” We also know that Kim played in the Pride Bowl in June of 2023. We talked about that event last year in this article. That’s one of the most recent updates we have on Bradley Kim, so we will have to wait to see what next steps the 26-year-old will make.
Final Thoughts
Bradley Kim became a cultural icon when he became the first service academy football player to come out as gay. His bravery and sacrifice cannot be overstated. Young people can and should take the wise words of Kim to heart. There is hope; you can follow your dreams, and you can find a community that will love and embrace you even in the most unlikely of circumstances.
It takes trailblazers like Bradley Kim being brave to open the conversation about gay men in the sport of football. Right now we have a “don’t ask, don’t tell” attitude in the locker room, and that has to change. Make sure to catch our other Pride Month 2025 articles here.
