LGBT Sports
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And the Award for the Most Homophobic Sport Goes to....?
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Why Gay Bashing on Twitter is a Bad Idea
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Gay Marriage and the National Football League
Marriage Equality and the Baltimore Ravens
Published September 23, 2009 @ 09:33AM PT
As a Steelers fan it pains me to say this, but the Baltimore Ravens' stock just jumped up about 20 points in my book. Why? Because one of their pro-bowl players, Brendon Ayanbadejo, has become a forceful advocate for marriage equality.
Ayanbadejo attended an Equality Maryland event last week, and earlier this year penned a piece on HuffPost that took anti-LGBT folks to task for supporting bans on same-sex marriage. As Ayanbadejo wrote, "How could our society grant more rights to a heterosexual one night stand wedding in Vegas than a gay couple that has been together for 3, 5, 10 years of true love?"
Wow, score one for common sense points! David Toth from Equality Maryland told the Washington Blade that having a high profile athlete openly discuss marriage equality is a welcome sign.
"While not all of us are pro-footballers, one can never underestimate the power of just one voice to change hearts and minds," Toth said, "whether it’s your own family or millions of adoring fans."
Ah, the power of sports celebrity.
(Photo courtesy of Emmett Tullo 711's photostream on Flickr.)
Homophobia and Transphobia in Sports
Published September 23, 2009 @ 04:41AM PT
From the mistreatment of South African runner Caster Semenya to college football coaches calling their rivals "faggots," homophobia and transphobia are alive and well in the world of sports. For years, the National Center for Lesbian Rights has had a sports project working on equalizing the treatment of LGBT athletes in the world of sports. And now a second organization, Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), is getting into the mix with an open call for survey respondents to tell their stories of homophobia and transphobia in the wide world of sports.
The goal is to explore even deeper the ways in which anti-gay and anti-transgender attitudes shape the sports culture. To gather that information, GLAD is asking for athletes, coaches and allies to share their stories of homophobia and transphobia, whether it's on the court, on the field, on the rink, or in the locker room.You can do so on the record, or anonymously, too.
Is it a coach that berates his or her players with anti-gay language? Teams who heckle and harass LGBT teammates (or those perceived to be LGBT)? Gay coaches who have to deal with a homophobic administration at their school or university? It certainly could be. So if you have a story that fits, GLAD is looking for it.
The timing of this couldn't be better, either. Earlier this year, a study came out surveying sports reporters, who said that there was rampant and overwhelming homophobia in sports -- particularly in men's sports. The study, conducted by the Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State University, found that 65 percent of sports reporters observed homophobic and transphobic behaviors in covering various sports. And those behaviors keep LGBT athletes living in the closet, according to researchers.
And that's something to remember. In male professional sports, there has never been an openly gay player in the NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLB, although several have come out after retirement. Is that a coincidence, or a sign that there's a whole heck of a lot of entrenched homophobia in sports -- especially professional sports -- preventing LGBT players and coaches from feeling safe and equal? Probably, and that's the very culture that GLAD and organizations like the National Center for Lesbian Rights are trying to dismantle.
Tim Hardaway's Changing Heart on Gay Rights?
Published September 14, 2009 @ 05:51PM PT
Retired NBA basketball player Tim Hardaway made headlines two years ago for one of the most homophobic screeds ever screeched by a professional athlete. Fast-forward two years, and Hardaway's foundation is about to throw a fundraiser for a prominent LGBT group that works to combat suicide among LGBT youth and young adults. A change of heart?
Perhaps. And this is the way it should be when someone of Hardaway's stature makes as big a mistake as he did in talking about all things LGBT.
In February 2007, Hardaway said this on a sports radio show:
Well, you know I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States.
Let it be known that Hardaway said this knowing the mic was on (unlike certain California state legislators peddling family values while spanking their lobbying friends in hotel rooms...). It was particularly offensive, since it was targeted in many respects toward a former NBA basketball player, John Amaechi, who came out of the closet as a gay man after retiring from professional basketball.
After saying these comments, and after the type of justified outrage that, say, comes after tea is taxed too high or some doofus wingnut shouts "You Lie" to the President on national television, Hardaway made a public apology and promised to make amends for any hurt that he caused.
Well, consider those wounds mending. The Miami New Times breaks the news that Hardaway will be sponsoring a fundraiser for the Trevor Project -- one of the most important LGBT organizations out there -- in Miami Beach this coming weekend. And there seems to be a heavy dose of genuineness in Hardaway's support. Per the Trevor Project's local committee chairman, David Wylie, "His foundation approached us and just said, 'Hey, is there any way we can help?' He wasn't looking for PR."
Good. Good for the Trevor Project. Good for Tim Hardaway. Good for LGBT rights. There's something to be said for folks who know when they've done wrong. And there's something to be said for folks who know how to forgive when people say stupid -- even downright mean -- things.
Italian Soccer Never Sounded So Homophobic
Published August 26, 2009 @ 01:00PM PT
The coach who led Italy to win the 2006 World Cup in soccer has a message for openly gay soccer players: go play something else instead.
Marcello Lippi, the coach of Italy's national soccer team, went on record to say that openly gay soccer players would be bad for morale, create conflict among team members, and be perceived negatively by fans. But, of course, he doesn't want anyone accusing him of being homophobic.
Lippi told an Internet television program that he would purposely not choose openly gay players to play on his soccer team. This comes after comments previously made by Lippi where he said that no gay people play soccer, and that in his 40 years of coaching, he's never met anyone gay. And if you believe that, I think Lippi's got a bridge to sell you....
Meanwhile, Italian LGBT organization Arcigay blasted Lippi for fueling the type of homophobia that has made sports culture - particularly international soccer - so damaging for LGBT people.
"We are tired of hearing politicians, singers and coaches who fuel... a climate that is by now poisoned by fear and suspicion," Arcigay folks said. "We don't want to be afraid any more, and we hope that people in the public eye will have the courage to affirm the dignity of everyone to live their own lives, their relations and loves in broad daylight."
Lippi's comments come just two weeks after a survey found that soccer, specifically in the U.K. but also throughout Europe, is "institutionally homophobic" and that fans regularly use anti-LGBT insults to characterize their opponents. Nothing like having a major public figure and coach like Lippi reinforce that survey with boneheaded comments straight out of the 1930s.
Ruggers Against Homophobia
Published August 18, 2009 @ 09:36AM PT
Last week, a study came out that said in the UK, homophobia is rampant in sports, particularly soccer. Depressing news, and one that seemed to reaffirm the stereotype that sport culture and LGBT culture were mutually exclusive. But that's why it's so cool to see this media campaign coming out of Australia (many miles away from the UK, we know) showing that at least one rugby team isn't a huge fan of homophobia.
The photo campaign is part of the "This is Oz" campaign, an online photo gallery where Australians can help dismantle homophobia and work to make Australia a truly inclusive place. And that's exactly what the Australian Wallabies rugby team is hoping to do with their photo shoot.
More photos are available here. A couple favorites send the message that "Everyone deserves a sporting chance to stand up against homophobia," and "It's not who you are, it's how you play the game."
And if you're looking for that perfect photo to send to your favorite anti-LGBT wingnut, why not try the one below, courtesy of This is Oz. It's like a Hallmark card, only better :)
Billie Jean King and Harvey Milk Get Presidential Medals Today
Published August 12, 2009 @ 04:18AM PT
Two of the most influential LGBT people in the last fifty years are due to get the Presidential of Freedom Medal today. Billie Jean King, the legendary lesbian tennis player, and Harvey Milk, the legendary gay San Francisco politician who was assassinated in 1978 after becoming the first openly gay man elected to political office in the country, are due to be honored by President Barack Obama today.
There are many other power players receiving awards today, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, former Irish President Mary Robinson, Senator Ted Kennedy, and actor Sidney Poitier. Looking at that list, there are a couple of very LGBT-friendly straight allies (Tutu, Kennedy) getting medals, too.
Obama called all of this individuals "Agents of Change," which as a blogger at change.org is definitely a term I'm pleased by :) But when it comes to talking about how significant it is for both Billie Jean King and Harvey Milk to win these awards, it goes even a bit further. Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund President Chuck Wolfe said that in Milk's case, his award is both a chance to remember what might have been if Milk weren't killed, but also a chance to remember that Milk represented the aspirations of all Americans.
This is a moment that will transcend identity politics because Harvey Milk represents the aspirations of all Americans. More than 200 years ago Washington, Jefferson and Adams fought to create a more perfect union. They probably had no idea that their vision would be embodied in the late 20th century by a gay, Jewish camera shop owner in San Francisco...
Milk's murder could have had a chilling effect on the then burgeoning gay rights movement...Instead it's a testament to American idealism that in the 30 years since Milk's assassination, we have continued to appreciate and honor his political work.
In her own right, King is thought to be the first female athlete to receive this honor, a testament to both her amazing ability as a sports star, as well as her commitment to equal rights. King commeted to the Associated Press in the wake of the announcement that she'd receive the Presidential Medal:
I think it's the first time the LGBT community has been acknowledged. It's another breakthrough.
Agents of change, breaking through and being honored by the highest office in the United States. Yup, today is going to be one of those days where LGBT history gets written.
One Hundred Countries to Mark LGBT Rights at World Outgames
Published July 22, 2009 @ 01:27PM PT
Among the list of speakers? LGBT activist Cleve Jones, former NBA basketball player John Amaechi, Nepalese politician and LGBT activist Sunil Pant, and former head of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission Paula Ettelbrick, to name a few. The conference program can be viewed here.
Here's what the director of the 2009 World Outgames had to say about the event's impact:
From Northern Europe to South America, in Eastern Europe and the Far East, there are human rights battles to be fought - particularly for homosexuals. We hope that World Outgames and the thousands of people from around 100 different countries will be able to spread the message to the world.
So, if you find yourself near Copenhagen this weekend, and you're looking to mix a little athletics with a little LGBT activism, here's your weekend plans.
