Michael E. Crosby '02, the captain of the men's water polo team, and Callaghan, of the women's water polo team, also agreed to join Davidson's discussion panel.

"The main reason I decided to do this forum was because I was disturbed by the lack of gay athletes at Harvard and because I was skeptical that there aren't more 'out' athletes," Crosby says.

Callaghan claims that the panel is "more of a visibility thing" and a prerequisite for any meaningful dialogue on the issue of homosexuality in athletics.

"People being aware of gay presence [in athletics] is a necessary step," she says.

To round out the forum, Davidson contacted two former National Football League (NFL) players to provide an external perspective on the issue of homosexuality in athletics.

One of the former NFL players, David Kopay, is only one of two professional football players to ever publicly disclose his homosexuality. The other former player on the panel, Reggie Rivers, is heterosexual, but has recently equated racial and homosexual discrimination in sports in his columns for the Denver Post.

For both Callahan and Crosby, the response from their peers has been "overwhelmingly positive." Both say their teammates and coaches have been very supportive and understanding.