And the Award for the Most Homophobic Sport Goes to....?
Published November 07, 2009 @ 08:02AM PT
If there was ever any doubt that homophobia was alive and well in the wide world of sports, just take a look at the past two weeks. In the NFL there was Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson berating a Twitter follower with anti-gay language. In the NBA, Dallas Mavericks center Drew Gooden allegedly blasted a Los Angeles fan with some homophobic rhetoric. And in hockey, a minor league player has taken the sport to task for fostering a culture that supports homophobia and an overall prejudice against LGBT people.
Hey, at least no professional golfers said anything stupid this week.
Homophobia in sports is not late-breaking news. Athletes have been making a name for themselves by using seriously anti-gay rhetoric for years. There's former baseball player John Rocker's tirade about having to ride the New York city next to some "queer with AIDS." Then there's retired basketball player Tim Hardaway's screed about not wanting to play on the same team as a gay person, because it might make the locker room experience for him a little weird. And of course, former NFL runningback Garrison Hearst said that he didn't want to see any "faggots" in his locker room.
Most athletes manage to issue some sort of apology, and then move on to finish up their careers. And on schedule, apologies have already been issued by Larry Johnson (and subsequently the Kansas City Chiefs lessened the fine Johnson was given for using the slur).
One bit of good news is that despite the voices for Larry Johnson (and allegedly Drew Gooden), there seems to be a slow tide turning to change the trajectory of the homophobic culture in sports. And it's happening because current players are willing to speak out on the issue, and because good organizations are addressing the root causes of homophobia in sports and trying to work with young athletes -- especially high school athletes and younger -- to snuff out homophobia before it starts.
Two welcome surprises of late are from NFL players Scott Fujita and Brendon Ayanbadejo, both of whom have come out as strong advocates for same-sex marriage and respect for LGBT rights. Ayanbadejo was honored by Equality Maryland earlier this year for his support, and his comments on same-sex marriage ring even truer this week in the wake of the vote in Maine, where anti-gay activists succeeded in repealing marriage rights for gays and lesbians.
"I think we will look back in 10, 20, 30 years and be amazed that gays and lesbians did not have the same rights as every one else. How did this ever happen in the land of the free and the home of the brave?" Ayanbadejo said.
But before even getting to marriage, there's the base-level homophobia that has to be dealt with, and that's exactly what minor league hockey player Justin Bourne gets at in his opinion piece in USA Today this week. Bourne said that because of peer pressure, he too caved in and used homophobic speech in the locker rooms of hockey rinks around the country. It's a culture that's contagious, but one that Bourne says has to be stopped.
"The lack of a homosexual presence in hockey must mean one of two things: either homosexual men don't play the game or they don't feel comfortable admitting it — in which case I, and my brethren, were offending some teammates with our close-mindedness, and furthering what must have been unsettled feelings of fear and general exclusion," Bourne writes.
That's exactly the point of using the word "faggot," right? To berate. To create fear. To exclude.
Jim Buzinski, who founded the Web site outsports.com, says that the word is the slur of choice for pro-athletes, and that it's meant to signal that someone is weak, feminine, or not good enough. Turning the tide on how cavalierly this word is used is going to be a slow and arduous process.
But the first step is calling out those athletes, like Larry Johnson, who use the word to beat people down -- and getting them to see that they were wrong.
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Comments (10)
Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.
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Michael is the Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, and previously was Communications Director for Pax Christi USA, a progressive Catholic human rights organization.
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How to stop unruly heterosexual locker behavior 101:
It is not uncommon for the average heterosexual male to play grabiods or spakney in the locker with his other heterosexual friends or others in the locker. However this behavior can not only be disruptive, but can also be humiliating. Unfortunately words like "stop" or sentences like "knock it off you fucking douchbag" seem to fall on deaf ears. Here is a step you can take to change your friends behavior.
Fixing the problem is quite simple. When your heterosexual friend smacks your ass simply give him a devious grin, and utter: "You know I might like that." The more serious you seem, the more awkward they will feel and the chances they will continue such behavior are substantially diminished. After the atmosphere with you too seems tense be honest and tell your friend that you are straight (if you are) or gay (if you are). Explain to them how you shouldn't of had to resort the the measure you did to get your point across that you dislike getting you ass smacked and wish such behavior to stop.
If you friend continues after you have explained to him, simply grab a small towel we it until it is soaked, twist it and when you friend has his back turned to you, you whip that sucker right across his left cheek and hard too.
Disclaimer:
Do not attempt to do this in the military for any insinuation of homosexuality will have you dishonorably discharged.
Do not attempt this in redneck locker rooms
the writer of this post is not responsible if this causes your friend to become sexually aroused by you because he is gay.
And remember Kiddies. Dont be a fool, WRAP YOUR TOOL!!!
Posted by Chris Marshall on 11/07/2009 @ 10:32AM PT
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I like your take on that chris...Very wise.
Posted by Thomas McHugh on 11/10/2009 @ 01:25PM PT
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The sad part is... it works.
Posted by Chris Marshall on 11/10/2009 @ 02:20PM PT
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Homophobia so entrenched in sports is unfortunate and must be eliminated so that LGBT atlethes may play in sports team and be treated equally with other players. Homophobic atlethes have spewed their nonsense but at least, they've given an apology, but that still isn't good enough. What is good enough is saying that LGBT atlethes be treated with respect because only then would the apology be good enough. It's good that Jim Buzinski improved with attitude.
Posted by Edwin Bonilla on 11/07/2009 @ 03:44PM PT
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I am female, not gay and not a sports fan, but I can't help but be disgusted at the bigotry. I'd like to post here a blog written by a western Maine school teacher who consistently writes appalling rubbish in The Conway Daily Sun, a small town newspaper in NH. http://tommclaughlin.blogspot.com If you read his blogs, it will be hard to believe this is not an individual still mired in apartheid south africa.
And this is a good reason why Mainers voted Yes on Nov. 2 to rid Maine of equality in marriage. The commentary written by the above individual is dejevu for me from my years of being raised in Apartheid South Africa. As a matter of fact, it is quite interesting that many of the Republicans who don't want marriage equality and also do not wish their families, neighbors and citizens to have health care, also have the same heritage as the Broederbonders of Apartheid South Africa. Boehner for one appears to disinherit his heritage by insisting his name be pronounced Bay'nor. Others are Hoekstra and Frelinghuysen. Just like being back apartheid south africa listening and watching these individuals. What a sad commentary.
Posted by dee f. on 11/08/2009 @ 06:59AM PT
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If more Americans knew the true history of the tactics and aggression behind the gay activist movement, the public sentiment would be very different. Mr. McLaughlin's post on the history of the subject is actually quite good. I'll do you one better Dee and provide the link directly to it:
http://tommclaughlin.blogspot.com/2009/10/stop-agenda-vote-yes-on-question-1.html
Posted by Shawn Hopper on 11/08/2009 @ 03:38PM PT
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The "true" history? Are you kidding? Is this the same argument used for African Americans and Africans under Apartheid? That because they were forced to use "tactics" we must therefore view them differently, thereby not allowing them equal rights under the law? Amazing!
Posted by dee f. on 11/08/2009 @ 03:55PM PT
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Mr. hopper...
If all americans knew of and understood the dangers of allowing the bible thumping agenda to proceed unstopped then churches that engage in the political arena would lose their tax exempt status AND all refferences to any religion would be stricken from state and federal buildings.
The bible thumper's agenda also known as the fundemental christian agenda is everything they claim the "gay agenda" is and far worse.
They seek to do away with all who dont believe as they do and the bible thumpers must be stopped.
Posted by Thomas McHugh on 11/10/2009 @ 01:31PM PT
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You want to know the true history look up stonewall Shawn. I mean it cant be that hard to google something so simple. But agian and again you prove me wrong about how easy it is for someone like you to actually read for a change.
As for stonewall let me break it down for you. Police happily raided gay bars, beating and sometimes killing the patrons. They got away with it over and over agian for about thirty years. Finally in 1968 in the Stonwall In a much of us gave a huge "FUCK YOU" to those bigots, trashed their crusiers and paddy wagons, and forced them into the bar to feel the shame, humiliation, and brutality they enforced on us as we rioted for our liberation to come one and for all.
That is our history. We showed the oppressors, like yourself, that we will no longer go quiety, we will no longer stand for bigotry agianst our kind, we will no longer stand for our usurpation of our rights, that we will no longer die for being who we are by the government and people sworn to protect us, and we will fight to the end for our freedom.
You just give people like me more motivation to arouse others into action. The best part is you are digging your grave for your beliefs. For if you cannot integrate tolerance and accpetance into your daily life, and your beliefs are the cause of that, there will be a day when your religious rights will be up on the chopping block. Trust me, if your kind continues, that day will come sooner than you think.
While civil rights like marriage are fundemental, the special rights afforded to religious establishments and religions alone abridge our constitution and are against the law. We as a society respect that stain, but that doesn't mean it is permanent. It is time we stop respecting the special privileges of phony business that sell fake and invisible products that can cause substantial hurt in peoples lives, and start treating them as they are. Like how our founding fathers treated them. Which is that Religion exist, but it has no place in government, no place in the lives of people outside the believer him/herself, and it has no place demanding privileges, freedoms, and rights be given or taken away simply for the fact that many people believe in that religion. For that is not democracy that is majoritarian tyranny.
Posted by Chris Marshall on 11/10/2009 @ 02:37PM PT
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I'm well aware of the Stonewall riots Chris. And I have never suggested that gays should be persecuted in any way in any of my posts. Your insinuations to the contrary are insulting.
My position is that marriage should not be re-defined to include two persons of the same gender. This is not persecution or oppression of gays, it is disagreement about how to define the institution of marriage.
As far as your last paragraph, you should realize it is exactly this type of militant aggression that fires up the opposition. I would suggest that you will have far more success by wooing mis-guided liberal Christians then through a blatant call-to-arms against the freedom of religion in this country.
Posted by Shawn Hopper on 11/11/2009 @ 11:11AM PT
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