Gay beach volleyball stars Kyle Friend and Tim Brewster announce engagement
Gay beach volleyball players Kyle Friend and Tim Brewster announced their engagement after a proposal in Maine during their New England trip.
Gay professional beach volleyball players Kyle Friend and Tim Brewster are engaged after a romantic proposal on the coast of Maine, celebrating a relationship that began with friendship and their shared love of the sport.
Outsports reported the engagement on 9 October 2026, following a proposal at Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The moment came during a New England trip the previous weekend, when Friend got down on one knee after the rain stopped and the couple reached the lighthouse.
The proposal was eight months in the planning. Friend arranged for a photographer to capture the moment secretly and had rings made for the occasion, turning what could have been a routine sightseeing stop into a memory the pair will share for the rest of their lives.
Their relationship began four years ago, when they were friends and beach volleyball teammates. They eventually began dating after an event in Australia, building a partnership that has continued even as their professional careers have taken different directions.
Friend, 37, has retired from competition and now works as a volleyball commentator, while Brewster, 26, remains active on the beach volleyball tour. Friend has been openly gay on the circuit since 2013, and his visibility helped Brewster during his own coming-out journey.
Brewster previously explained that seeing an openly gay athlete compete confidently had shown him that it was possible to be out while pursuing a career in volleyball. He hopes their engagement might offer similar encouragement to other LGBTQ+ athletes, particularly those competing in sports where acceptance is less visible.
The couple have not set a wedding date, but Brewster told Outsports that autumn 2028 was a possibility. His Olympic qualification campaign for Los Angeles 2028 is due to begin in December, while Friend’s commentary commitments will also shape their plans.
Their engagement is a personal milestone, but it also adds to the visibility of same-sex relationships in professional sport, showing that gay athletes can build careers and celebrate their relationships openly.
