Becoming Sam Phillips debuts March 13, 2025.
The decorated gymnast made his name as the only out athlete at Nebraska, a Big Ten school known for its iconic athletic program. But as the flagship university of a deep red state, Phillips quickly found the school wasn’t interested in promoting inclusion, or the visibility he was trying to create for the LGBTQ+ community. …
The athletic department refused to share Phillips’ viral video for National Coming Out Day, and his coaches’ feelings about queer advocacy ranged from apathy to downright contempt. Phillips says one of the team’s volunteer coaches proudly called himself a homophobe, while deriding Phillips with an insulting nickname: “brown sugar.” …
Gymnast Sam Phillips opens up about his new doc & being the only out athlete at a Big Ten school
Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.
