This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Wade Davis, an ex-NFL player for the Titans, Redskins, and Seahawks, shares a gripping story of growing up gay in the world of football and urges us to reconsider our definitions of "masculinity."

Wade Davis is an ex-NFL player for the Titans, Redskins, and Seahawks and a pioneering educator on gender, race, and orientation equality. He is the NFL’s first diversity and inclusion consultant, and co-created the YOU Belong initiative and the Speaker’s Collective. Davis is also a U.N. Women HeForShe Ambassador, a U.S. State Department Speaker Specialist, and the official LGBT Surrogate for President Obama.