"Fearless," Sheng's moving photo exhibit, aims to encourage discussion about homophobia in sports and its negative effects on gay and transgender athletes. The exhibit is the culmination of five years Sheng has spent chronicling LGBTQ student athletes who, for better or worse, shared all of themselves with their teams and the world. Coming out, Sheng said, enabled these people to "fully participate" in their sports.

"What I hope people get when they look at the images," Sheng said, "is that they see pictures of people that they recognize. Images that look like their friends, maybe even people in their family, like their sons and daughters; and that they begin to look at the gay and lesbian community in a different way--perhaps with more empathy and respect."

The almost 60 students of "Fearless" have been showcased on over 25 campuses since 2003 as part of the ongoing "Fearless Campus Tour," and Sheng plans to feature a total of at least 100 athletes in a book next year. New volunteers are being accepted, and Sheng says that none have been turned away; the only requirement to participate is to be an LGBTQ-identified high school or college athlete.

"While these individuals are only a small segment of the LGBTQ community," Sheng writes on his website, "I wanted to photograph them and give them visibility because they exemplify a particular courage and self-confidence in being 'out' at a very young age while also competitively participating in the often-times homophobic world of sports.

"More importantly, these individuals do not let fear stand in the way of being true to themselves and enjoying what life has to offer. This is a lesson that is universal."

More on Jeff Sheng and "Fearless" can be found at this link, including how to volunteer.

The accompanying report is from ABCNews.com, broadcast June 21, 2008.