Alex Vaughn
Sports has not always been the friendliest industry to the LGBT community. Horror stories surrounding sports in high school seem to be the norm for every gay man! With the age-old ideas that gay men are not good at sports, can’t catch a ball, and can’t be trusted in the showers, it really isn’t any wonder that the sports industry and the LGBT community have been at odds.
The LGBT community has obviously enjoyed certain sports personalities for the physical specimens they are. David Beckham has graced the cover of Attitude, and is “glad to be a gay icon.” Yet, that aside, the sports industry hasn’t participated with the community. Similar to the military, there was the idea that there is no room for gay people in professional sports, and if you are gay, “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
However, 2011 seems to be the year that change is really happening and fast – not only in support but also to encourage a strong alliance between the LGBT community and the sporting community. As society as a whole is becoming more accepting of gay people, gay rights and equality, it seems the sports industry is working hard to break down the barriers.
Over the years, there have been groundbreaking events that affected the LGBT community within sport including Renee Richards being allowed to play in the women’s open, the outing of Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King and Dave Kopay. Yet still there was a huge wave of homophobia.
Recent actions show the sports industry is moving forward in leaps and bounds. This year alone, we have had a plethora of stories including Johnny Weir, Will Sheridan, Jared Max, Steve Buckley and others coming out, as well as the emergence of WWE and the NBA’s apparent zero-tolerance policy against homophobic slurs. Kobe Bryant and Joakim Noah got fined substantially, and almost immediately the NBA reacted in a positive way. Not only did they issue the fines and a statement, but they also went a step further and put out a PSA that featured stars like Phoenix Suns’ Grant Hill encouraging young people not to use the word “gay” as an insult. The Lakers released their own PSA pointing out the damaging effect of such language.
Then we had Sean Avery, Steve Tisch, Michael Strahan coming out clearly in support of gay marriage, showing the tide is definitely favoring equality even within the supposed homophobic locker rooms of professional sports.
Another story that clearly shows the upswing is that Rick Welts has been hired as team president and COO of the Golden State Warriors.
Welts came out publically in May of this year, and while his team couldn’t shun or fire him at the time, once he left, no other team had to hire him. But hire him they did. A top level NBA team wanted him, sending a clear message that his reputation and how he did his job was what was relevant. Not his sexuality.
One of the most feared parts of coming out within the sports arena is the bullying, the taunts and the lack of acceptance by teammates, friends and fans – not to mention the possibility of ending their careers. However, it’s important to realize that the fans are also changing. They are becoming more accepting.
I imagine the most worrying consequence is creating a division within the team. In a very recent example, Ohio State rugby player, Nevin Heard, came out to his team mates on MTV for National Coming Out Day. The best part of the video (which can be seen online) is the way his team embraced him.
This reaction demonstrates that as the nation and the world changes their reactions towards gay people, team mates are catching up. In the case of Will Sheridan, he had been out to his teammates for the whole time during his 2003-2007 run as forward on the Villanova basketball team.
Another advocate for the LGBT community is Ben Cohen. The straight, British rugby star has been touring the world, raising awareness and money for his StandUp foundation. The foundation is the first anti-bullying initiative. On its website, the welcoming message states, “We stand up against bullying regardless of whom it happens to. Because lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are often targeted by bullies, we give particular attention to this community. We include removing homophobia from sports as central to our mission.” It also is clear that Ben is one of the “first among straight professional athletes to focus his philanthropic efforts for the benefit of the LGBT community.”
His amazing work has paved the way for more straight athletes to come forward against bullying. Many Major League Baseball (MLB) teams including the Boston Red Sox, the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays and the Chicago Cubs have participated in the “It Gets Better” video project. The project is the brain child of author and gay activist, Dan Savage. The video project has, in eleven months, turned into a worldwide movement, inspiring more than 25,000 user-created videos viewed more than 40 million times. To date, the project has received submissions from celebrities, organizations, activists, politicians and media personalities all telling the LGBT youth that it does get better.
This movement towards crushing barriers and ending bullying all together is obviously both necessary and inspiring. The sports industry is doing the right thing and the necessary thing by stepping up to the plate.
Alex Vaughn is the Editor-in-Chief of the Florida Agenda. He can be reached at editor@FloridaAgenda.com
