Jason Somerville says the poker community has been “completely
accepting” of his coming out gay.
The 26-year-old Somerville came out gay last year in a lengthy
blog post published on Valentine's Day.
“I always knew I wasn't straight, but I never spoke a word of it
for twenty two years, and nobody really ever knew otherwise,”
Somerville wrote. “I dated women exclusively through my teens and
early 20s, doing my best to convince myself that it wasn't something
I had to pursue, that maybe I'd grow out of it, that I'd be happier
with women anyway, that I just should focus on other things. After a
lot of struggling and a lot of anxiety, I eventually came out to one
of my close friends when I was 22.”
“I'm … in an amazing relationship that means a great deal to
me, and bottom line, I'm honestly happier now than I've ever been,”
he
added.
In a Fightland.com
interview to promote Ultimate Poker, an online venture that combines
poker and mixed martial arts (MMA), Somerville said that response to
his coming out had been mostly positive.
“I've had almost zero bad experiences as a gay professional
poker player,” Somerville said. “Even playing on the biggest
stage poker has to offer, in the highest-stakes tournaments, people
have been completely accepting. Poker is inherently such an
inclusive game filled with a diversity of people. If you've got the
money to play with us, we've got a seat for you. We all get the same
cards, the same chips, and are left to make our own decisions. It's
extremely democratic, and the community was incredibly warm towards
me after I came out. After all the years I grappled with massive
anxiety over my sexuality, to finally have a 24-hour period where my
entire universe pretty much told me, 'Yep, you're still cool with
us,' was pretty awesome.”