Feb. 12, 2014

By Erik Hall

COLUMBIA — Restaurant staff cooked enchilada beef on the grill. The capacity of El Rancho increased as college students pushed their way through the door for a spot in line after the bars closed. Greg DeStephen waited with his boyfriend to get food.

He heard some commotion. A man shouted, “F----t!"

It was directed at DeStephen.

Aug. 18, 2014

By Erik Hall

Olympic gold medal swimmer Mark Tewksbury and his partner were watching TV in their Calgary home last February when the opening notes of “Breathe Me” by the Australian singer Sia opened a Coke commercial.

Over the next 30 seconds, images of 26 athletes flashed on the screen, two-thirds of them former Olympians. Most could be seen for just a fraction of a second. But one — former Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis — lingered for nearly two seconds.

Nov. 28, 2015

By Erik Hall

Tanner Wilfong struggled to accept what he knew was true. “You’re not gay. You’re not gay. You’re not gay. You’re not gay,” he would tell himself each day.

“It wasn’t the best way to deal with things,” Wilfong says. “It definitely caused a lot of stress, but it’s what I wanted to do at the time. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Nov. 8, 2015

By Erik Hall

Alex Clark filled out paperwork while sitting in the doctor's waiting room. He was nervous, his hands sweaty. It was his first trip to a therapist. Questions of what to expect had consumed Clark since he and his mom left their home in Elkhart, Ind., to drive three hours to Indianapolis.

When the appointment time arrived, he walked in to meet the doctor and scanned the office, the doctor's framed diploma hanging on the wall. The therapist graduated from Brigham Young University — the epicenter of education for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

July 30, 2015

By Erik Hall

The doorbell rings, and the family dog Homer, a springer spaniel, starts barking.

Griffin Hay, spending the day before Thanksgiving lying around, gets up from watching TV. He holds Homer back as he pulls open the front door.

At the door stands a blonde woman in a dark suit. She introduces herself as a coroner and wants to know if Hay's mom, a lawyer, is home.

April 13, 2015

By Erik Hall

FORT COLLINS, Colorado — The morning of his final college cross country race, Andrew Goodman arranged his spikes and running bib to take a picture. He wrote earlier in the week a two-word phrase on the outside arch of his black and yellow shoes using a rainbow of color markers. His competitors would see the phrase as they chased him, but the phrase was intended for him.

Feb. 26, 2015

By Erik Hall

CHAMPAIGN, Illinois —Following a day-long party at an off-campus house, Cameron Rogers sat beside Fred Hartville as their gymnastics teammates found seats and formed a circle.

Hartville, of Atlanta, needed assistance the past three days after right knee surgery. Rogers took him to the hospital for the surgery, and Rogers let Hartville stay with him while he recuperated.

On that Saturday, May 3, 2014, Hartville possessed some mobility with crutches. So when Rogers took a seat beside Hartville, he could help him physically, but more importantly, he could provide moral support, too.