LGBT Sports
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.
The Battle for the Gay Games Heats Up
Published July 13, 2009 @ 01:29PM PT
We've known for a while now that three U.S. cities are duking it out for the right to host the 2014 Gay Games. We've got Boston and Washington, D.C. on the east coast, and Cleveland, Ohio in the midwest competing for the right to host what's become the largest LGBT athletic gathering in the world.
This month, Cleveland is stepping up its game for its surprise bid to host the games. First they nail down a major corporate sponsor, Continental Airlines, to help them lure the games. And now the city is planning a major festival at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame to help draw support, while committee members from the Gay Games tour through the city in late July.
Of course, there's also the battle of the logos going on between the three cities. And hey, while we hate to admit it, branding is important. The logos are below, and judging on these alone, I'd say it's a tie between Boston and Cleveland, with Washington, D.C. coming in a distant third (hey, no offense to our friends inside the Beltway). Take a look and see....
Cleveland:
Boston:
Washington, D.C:
The Sexy, Heterosexual-only Centre Court at Wimbledon
Published July 07, 2009 @ 08:02AM PT
One of the summer's hottest sports tickets, Wimbledon, just wrapped up this past weekend, drawing some of the largest television audiences that pro tennis has ever seen. Venus, Serena, Andy, Roger...the biggest names in the sport made their way to Centre Court to play in the championship rounds.
But one item overlooked during the course of the two-week tournament was an announcement by the All England Club that when it comes to deciding who plays on Centre Court, one of the major considerations is whether the player is (1) attractive, and (2) straight. Especially when it comes to women.
This piece over on NPR's Web site does a fantastic job of cutting through the sexist (and heterosexist) practices of tennis's grandest event. During the course of the tournament, according to writer Dave Zirin, less known but better looking players got to play in prime spots, while some of the best players in the league were relegated to the cheap seats because they didn't strike the same sex appeal to make them popular with the market that pro tennis wants to appeal to.
Funny, the more things seem to be different from thirty years ago, the more things stay the same.
According to Zirin, the Wimbledon policy is sexism at its worst in tennis:
[Wimbledon's policy shows] tolerance for sexism, an acceptance of the fact that no matter what their skills, women athletes should be prepared to be seen as objects first and athletes second....
Women athletes find themselves in the same vise they have been in for a century: with sexism on one side and homophobia on the other. Accepting this sexist construct has become conventional wisdom for how to market and sell women's sports: sex, and specifically hetero-sex, sells.
Sex sells in women's tennis. Could that be the reason why Anna Kournikova, who has never won a tournament at all (let alone even made it to the finals of a grand slam event) is the most popular player in the sport?
Dr. Mary Jo Kane, a sports sociologist from the University of Minnesota, added that homophobia also has a huge rule to play here. In choosing who gets prime playing space, pro tennis officials are mindful that at least when it comes to the women's game, there's a stigma that the sport is filled with too many lesbians. Here's Kane:
This is also about what runs in the bone marrow of women's sports, namely homophobia. They are very well-meaning but they also want to distance themselves from the lesbian label. How do you do that? You reassure the viewing audiences, the corporate sponsors, the TV networks, and the female athletes themselves, that, No, no, no— sports won't make your daughter gay. Women's sports will be more acceptable if you believe, even though it is stereotypical and inaccurate, that if you are pretty and feminine in a traditional sense then you are not gay.
Kind of ironic for a sport that has given us two of the most famous (and most successful) lesbian athletes in history, Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova.
The real message that needs to be sent to the folks who run Wimbledon and pro tennis is that atypical sports stars - the ones who don't look like Maria Sharapova or who may cuddle with members of the same-sex in their bedroom at night - can be just as successful and popular as anyone else on the tour. Because what makes people popular in any given sport has a whole heck of a lot more to do with their ability than their prettiness. Trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator (sex, heterosexuality) only chepeans the sport, and disillusions fans who might otherwise tune in and watch.
