Gay Olympic Athletes Provide Role Models

Growing up gay can be soul killing, not because there is anything inherently wrong with being gay, but rather because of the hate, maligning and denigration one must suffer from portions of society, especially the modern day Pharisees among the "godly folks" - think Mike Pence.  As I have noted before, it took a couple of years of therapy to undo the damage my Catholic upbringing had done to me.  I can only believe that growing up Southern Baptist or evangelical Christian would do even more damage to one's psyche. No child or youth deserves such indoctrination that leads to self-hatred and, in still far too many cases, suicide.  Compounding the problem, especially for LGBT individuals of older generations was the lack of role models to demonstrate that one could succeed and live a happy life.  Nowhere was the case more than in sports.  For so, so long, there were no role models.  Now, Olympians Gus Kenworthy and Adam Rippon (who helped the U.S. figure skating team to win a bronze medal yesterday) are proving to young gays that things do not have to be as some charlatan behind a pulpit tells them it must be.  A piece in the Washington Post looks at this welcomed development.  Here are excerpts:

Gus Kenworthy is free. Eat your heart out, Mike Pence, and anyone else predisposed to sneering at his good, gay life.

It took the freestyle skier 24 years to get to this place — to stop hiding, to love himself unabashedly — and that is more valuable to him than his slopestyle silver medal from the Sochi Olympics. Since Kenworthy came out of the closet in 2015, he hasn’t flaunted his sexuality as much as he has owned it, with an intent to inspire others to shun the shame. He and figure skater Adam Rippon are Team USA’s first openly gay male Winter Olympians. The fact is wonderful, not controversial. If you disagree, that is now your problem, not theirs.

 

“I’m here at the Olympics,” said Kenworthy, 26. “Not many people get to say that. And doing so as a gay man makes me feel amazing.”

The U.S. Olympic Committee hails its 243-athlete squad as both the largest group any nation has sent to a Winter Olympics and the country’s most diverse contingent. Some wonder why the latter deserves such recognition. They must not understand the harsh effects of social exclusion. It’s too easy to marginalize, to judge and to hinder people considered different. So Kenworthy’s pride matters. He’s one of the best in the world at what he does. And he’s gay. Don’t merely tolerate it. Celebrate it.

“It’s 2018, and you see how open-minded many parts of the world are,” Kenworthy said. “But there are also many parts of the world where being gay is punishable by death, punishable by jail time. It’s a new world, and it’s also not, and I think that the only way to change perception is through visibility, through representation, and the more that we have that, the more normalized queer becomes, the easier it is for people to wrap their heads around it, and I think that the more we’ll see positive change.”

At the Opening Ceremonies, Kenworthy posted an Instagram photo with Rippon. They embraced in the image. As part of the caption, Kenworthy wrote: “I feel incredibly honored to be here in Korea competing for the US and I’m so proud to be representing the LGBTQ community alongside this amazing guy! Eat your heart out, Pence. #TeamUSA #TeamUSGay”

Rippon has been outspoken in his criticism of Vice President Pence, who led the official U.S. delegation to the Winter Olympics. His strong and passionate words against Pence’s questionable record on LGBTQ rights became a major story this week when he blasted Pence once again to USA Today. 

It’s more beneficial to consider, with compassion, how liberated Kenworthy feels now. He looks back at his first 24 years and sees fear. He was an Olympic silver medalist and he was ashamed of himself. Once he stopped treating his sexual orientation like a dirty secret, he found peace and a higher level of performance.

His superpower — he can ski really fast with exquisite body control, wondrous grace and stunning athleticism — used to be a crutch. He used to use the spectacular within him just to feel normal. Now he’s free to be extraordinary in every way. . . . . "I think that being in the closet is really hard. It takes a toll on your mind. It takes a toll on you. I think it just makes every aspect of your life more difficult.”

The hardest part? He didn’t know who to aspire to be. He thought there was no prototype. That’s why he’s so open now. He wants to provide vision for other gay athletes or anyone foraging life to find a comfortable place.

“As a kid, I just felt like I didn’t really have anyone to look up to that I felt like I could really relate to, someone that was out and gay and also competing in sports and finding success,” Kenworthy said. “And someone I could kind of emulate and try to follow in their footsteps. And so I hope to just be someone that the younger generation can kind of see themselves in and just really be visible for people that haven’t really been able to be visible in the past.

Kenworthy doesn’t want to be known merely as “the gay skier, the gay Olympian.” But for now, it’s important that he live with the label to change perceptions and counter the hatred of people such as John Moody, the executive vice president and executive editor of Fox News, who wrote an embarrassingly closed-minded piece about the Winter Games last week. It was so bad that Fox spiked it on Friday, but it was too late. We had been exposed to the poison for nearly 48 hours.

The implication is that a more diverse U.S. team is somehow worse. The implication is that Team USA didn’t hold Olympic trials and instead tried to create a rainbow. The implication ignores that Shani Davis (the first African American to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Games) has four Olympic medals, that Kenworthy can earn his second here, or that Ghana-born Maame Biney is the future of U.S. women’s short-track speedskating and Korean American snowboarder Chloe Kim might be a transcendent talent.

Why does diversity matter? Well, for one thing, it can shut up people who think like Moody.

"So I’m so proud that now you can exist as a gay man and be an Olympian, and it can be beneficial rather than negative,” Kenworthy said. “So it’s amazing. And I just think I feel so liberated now that I’ve been out of the closet for a while, and so I’m free in that I just get to be myself, speak freely, act freely, and I think that I am competing confidently.”

Eat your hearts out, bigots.

If people want to cling to the myths and legends of ignorant, uneducated Bronze Age herders, they are free to do so.  However, they have no right to seek to force such beliefs on others or to denigrate and incite hatred against those who embrace how the creator made them.  Kidos to Kenworthy and Rippon - I hope they soar and show Mike Pence to be the ignorant ass that he is in fact. 

Adam Rippon Rebuffs Anti-Gay Bigot Mike Pence

Mike Pence has a very long and well documented history of being an enemy of LGBT individuals.  Indeed, some believe he is the moving force behind the Trump/Pence regime's efforts to rescind every LGBT friendly policy of the Obama administration and the Sessions Justice Department's argument that existing civil rights laws do not protect LGBT individuals.  And then there is Pence's history of supporting totally debunked "gay conversion therapy" - something some rumors whisper that Pence under went himself (the most anti-gay Republicans seemingly are always self-loathing closet cases).  Not surprisingly, openly gay Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon said he had no interest in meeting with Pence who he rightly sees as an enemy of LGBT rights.  This ticked off Pence who sought to meet with Rippon who again said "No."  In my view, Rippon did the right thing.  Pence is not susceptible to having his heart and mind changed and any such meeting would merely be spun by Pence for PR purposes to depict him as open minded, something that he is not. USA Today looks at the situation.  Here are highlights:

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea – Vice President Pence is set to arrive here soon to lead the official U.S. delegation to the 2018 Winter Olympic opening ceremony. . . . But on the afternoon on Jan. 17, Pence had another focus: He was so concerned about the criticism he received from U.S. Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon that his staff went to the extraordinary length of asking the U.S. Olympic Committee to set up a conversation between the two – an offer Rippon turned down.

[A] member of Pence’s staff requested the conversation with the openly gay Rippon after reading the skater’s derogatory remarks about him in a USA TODAY Sports story that had been published online just an hour earlier.  Rippon, the two people said, declined the invitation.

The spat between the vice president and the figure skater began when I asked Rippon last month about Pence’s selection for the ceremonial role of leading the U.S. delegation to the Olympic opening ceremony.

“You mean Mike Pence, the same Mike Pence that funded gay conversion therapy? I’m not buying it,” Rippon said.

The comments from Rippon about gay conversion therapy that so riled Pence come from a widespread belief stemming from a statement Pence made in 2000 on his congressional campaign website: “Resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.”

While Pence didn’t explicitly mention gay conversion therapy, leaders in the LGBT community have said they believe that’s exactly what Pence meant in light of his long-standing opposition to gay rights.

Rippon, who said he was bullied and teased as a boy growing up in Scranton, Pa., came out publicly as being gay in an October 2015 story in Skating magazine. He often talks about how he hopes his story can help others, especially young people who might be struggling with their sexuality.

Always outspoken, Rippon said recently he will not go to the White House for a post-Olympic celebration hosted by President Trump: “I said no.” Legendary skier Lindsey Vonn has also said she will not attend.

Olympic Silver Medalist Skier Gus Kenworthy Comes Out

I

 have often said that coming out is one of the most powerful acts of activism that one can do.  It is a way of smashing stereotypes and forcing bigots to hopefully rethink their prejudices.  Of course, in addition to helping bring much needed social change, coming also is an incredibly liberating feeling as the need to live a lie or a stage role assigned to you by others suddenly goes away.  Today, American free style skier Gus Kenworthy came out as gay in an interview with ESPN.  Kenworthy won the silver medal in his event for Team USA back in 2014 at the Sochi Olympics in Russia.  Note how he admits that he has known the truth about himself for a long time, but felt he had to hide the truth as he wrote on Facebook afterwards:

I am gay.  Wow, it feels good to write those words. For most of my life, I’ve been afraid to embrace that truth about myself. Recently though, I’ve gotten to the point where the pain of holding onto the lie is greater than the fear of letting go, and I’m very proud to finally be letting my guard down.

My sexuality has been something I’ve struggled to come to terms with. I’ve known I was gay since I was a kid but growing up in a town of 2,000 people, a class of 48 kids and then turning pro as an athlete when I was 16, it just wasn’t something I wanted to accept. I pushed my feelings away in the hopes that it was a passing phase but the thought of being found out kept me up at night. I constantly felt anxious, depressed and even suicidal.

Looking back, it’s crazy to see how far I’ve come. For so much of my life I’ve dreaded the day that people would find out I was gay. Now, I couldn’t be more excited to tell you all the truth. Maybe you’ve suspected that truth about me all along, or maybe it comes as a complete shock to you. Either way, it’s important for me to be open and honest with you all. Y’all have supported me through a lot of my highs and lows and I hope you'll stay by my side as I make this transformation into the genuine me - the me that I’ve always really been.  

It is sad that people still have to live in fear and with self-loathing all because the ignorant and bigoted cling to the writings of Bronze Age herders rather than have the courage to think for themselves and admit that they were indoctrinated with lies.   Kudos to Kenworthy.  I wish him much future happiness and success.  More over, I hope he is an inspiration to young LGBT individuals who need a positive role model, especially those living in emotionally and psychologically abusive "Christian" homes.   And yes, Gus is a hottie!

Rugby League star Keegan Hirst "Comes Out"

Over the weekend British rugby star Keegan Hirst came out as gay after marrying a woman and fathering two children.   The story he tells in the Daily Mirror is all too familiar to those of us who suppressed who were are and did what was expected of us.  As in my case and that of so many others, eventually the strain becomes too much and one simply can no longer play the role one believes family and society demand.  The collateral damage, of course, is the straight spouse - who never seems to appear on the radar screen of anti-gay extremists who continue to push the :ex-gay" myth in their quest for money and to massage their own psycho-sexual issues.  Here are highlights from the interview article:

Rugby League player Keegan Hirst is the first British professional in the code to openly say he is gay.  Respected prop Keegan, 27, reveals the secret torment of dealing with his sexuality while carving out a career in one of the world’s most macho sports.

Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Mirror, the dad of two tells of the moment he finally found the words to explain to his wife the reason they could no longer be together.  And he talks emotionally of the support he got, not only from her but also from his rugby team-mates.

The 6ft 4in captain of West ­Yorkshire side Batley Bulldogs said: “At first I couldn’t even say ‘I’m gay’ in my head, let alone out loud.  “Now I feel like I’m letting out a long breath that I’ve held in for a long time.” . . . And he reveals: “The only time I felt free of the torment was when I stepped on the rugby pitch. Now I feel free.”

. . . .  he knew he had to be honest with his wife after he realised she blamed herself for their marriage break-up.  He said: “I finally told my wife I was gay a few weeks ago.  “She blamed herself when we ­separated but I knew she’d done nothing wrong. I couldn’t bear it any more, the guilt of it all, of her not knowing why I left. It was eating me up.

Keegan says he first felt he might be gay as a teenager. He said: “I had ­girlfriends on and off, but at about 15, I started feeling attracted to guys too.  “I was having conflicting feelings, but it was something I suppressed. It wasn’t the done thing to admit it.”

He said: “By the time I was 18, I was in complete denial, hoping it would go away. It was inconceivable to tell anybody how I was feeling.  "I didn’t have it right in my own head, so how could I tell anybody?  “Society dictates that when you’re a 16-year-old lad you have a girlfriend, you sleep with her and that’s how it is.

“It wasn’t that I wasn’t happy with her, it was that I wasn’t happy with myself.”  He adds: “I feel bad for what I’ve put her through, but hopefully it’s a case of better late than never.  “She’s got the chance now to get on with her life, to find someone new to be happy with. She deserves that.”

At his lowest, Keegan says, he considered taking his own life. “On the worst days I’d think, ‘I can’t do this, I’d rather be dead than for it all to come out.’

I totally understand his feelings.  I wish him happiness and hope that both he and his former wife find happiness.  

New Study: USA Ranks Worse in Homophobia in Sports

The Christofascists and their minions in the Republican Party like to blather about American exceptionalism.  A new study of English speaking countries confirms that yes, America is exceptional when it comes to homophobia in sports.  Of the nations in the study, America ranked dead last.  Apparently mistreating and abusing others is one of the things that makes America exceptional in the deranged and fear stricken minds of the godly folk and their political whores.  Time looks at the study findings.  Here are excerpts: 

Throughout most of high school, Michael Martin—a senior at Musselman High School in Inwood, W. Va.—kept his sexuality hidden from his soccer teammates. “I was afraid I would get harassed, tormented, made fun of a lot,” said Martin, who knew he was gay since middle school. “I wasn’t afraid of physical abuse necessarily. But I thought guys would do stuff like throw the ball at me. On purpose.” Martin says he heard the word faggot all too many times.

According to new research released on Saturday, Martin is far from alone. The study, entitled “Out On The Fields” and billed as “the first international study on homophobia in sport,” is a survey of nearly 9,500 people, mostly from six countries (the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand). The researchers found that 80% of all participants and 82% of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) participants “said they have witnessed or experienced homophobia in sport.” Of those reporting personal experience with homophobia, 84% of gay men and 82% of lesbians said they had received verbal slurs like faggot and dyke. Also, 81% of gay men and 74% of lesbians who were under 22 at the time of the study reported being completely or partially in the closet to teammates while playing youth sports. Nearly half of gay men and 32% of lesbians hid their sexuality while playing youth sports because they feared rejection by teammates.

The study found the U.S. had the highest percentage of gay men reporting that they had received verbal threats in a sports environment, and the highest percentage of gay men who heard slurs. In fact, of the six countries surveyed, the U.S. ranked worst in sports homophobia and discrimination, as measured by the “inclusion score” developed by the researchers. (Canada had the highest score, followed by Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., Ireland and the U.S.) “It’s sad that the U.S. fared so poorly,” . . .

This is the largest study of its kind yet to be undertaken. The results illustrate the extent to which LGB sport participants across multiple nations share common experiences of harassment, bullying, and even physical violence. It reaffirms what most LGB and straight athletes in these contexts already know, that homophobic language and action remain effective techniques for normalizing heteronormative masculinity in the sports domain. If we are going to take issues of (in)equality and civil rights seriously, this study reminds us that there’s no better place to start than on the sports field.”

Dallas Cowboys Plan to Sign Michael Sam to Practice Squad

Years ago when I lived in Houston, I began being a fan of the Dallas Cowboys because the Houston Oilers were nothing short of terrible - an embarrassment to the city of Houston.  When I moved back to Virginia, the abundance of obnoxious Washington Red Skin fans - most of whom had no ties whatsoever to Washington - made remaining a Cowboys fan look worthwhile.  Now, there may be another reason to cheer the Cowboys: the NFL is reporting that the Cowboys plan on signing Michael Sam to their practice team.  Here are some highlights from NFL.com:

Michael Sam's NFL journey isn't over yet.

The Dallas Cowboys plan to bring the free-agent defensive end in for a physical on Wednesday, a team source told NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. If the rookie passes, Sam will be added to the team's practice squad.

The seventh-round pick of the Rams cleared waivers on Sunday after St. Louis released him during their roster reduction to 53 men. NFL Media columnist Michael Silver reported that coach Jeff Fisher "remains a fan" but the Rams needed practice help at other positions due to injury concerns.

The NFL's first openly gay player racked up 2.5 sacks this preseason and led the Rams with six tackles in Thursday night's preseason loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The Cowboys spent Tuesday calling their own players to gauge reaction to making Sam a Cowboy. With the Rams out of the picture, Dallas looms as a solid fit for last year's SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year because of the team's 4-3 scheme and a desperate need for help on defense.

Ian Thorpe Comes Out

Ending years of speculation and by his own admission, many years of struggle and depression, Australian Olympia Ian Thorpe has come out as gay.  A piece in the Daily Telegraph has details and as one who was in the closet for decades, I identify with Thorpe's description of the emotional struggle he fought.  The closet is a horrible, unhappy place.  Kudos to Thorpe and I hope he finds self-acceptance and happiness.  No one should suffer because of the small minded, religious based bigotry of those who due to their own psychological issues cling to the idiocy in a few passages in the Bible authored by those who would be deemed utterly ignorant by today's knowledge. Here are article highlights:

The 31-year-old confirms his sexuality for the first time Sunday in an exclusive interview on Channel 10, telling all to veteran British interviewer Sir Michael Parkinson.

It’s understood the interview, which Parkinson has described as one of the best he has ever conducted, includes a full admission from Thorpe that he is gay despite having dated women in the past.

In the emotional sit-down shot last month, Thorpe also details the years of depression he has battled while denying his sexuality from the world. Part of that concealment included his own autobiography This Is Me, published in 2012, in which Thorpe wrote that he found questions about his sexuality hurtful.

Parkinson said he thought the interview was “one of the best” he had ever done.  “I think his sexuality is no one’s business but his own. But I think it’s one of the best interviews I have ever done in terms of (Thorpe) talking about depression and things like that,” he said.

Gold medal-winning diver Matthew Mitcham, who also has revealed he is gay, said last night he hoped Australians supported Thorpe. “I can totally understand how difficult this whole process has been for him,” Mitcham said.

“I really hope this process gives him some peace and that the media and the public give him the same respect and the same overwhelming support I received in 2008. The Australian public and media have a really wonderful opportunity to set an example for kids who are in Ian’s position.”

Thorpe is among a growing list of international athletes who have come out publicly, including UK Olympic diver Tom Daley, NBA player Jason Collins and NFL star Michael Sam.

I look forward to the day when young gays can simple be who they are and not go through the years of living hell fueled by professional Christians and hate groups that dishonestly describe themselves as "family values" focused.  Hate and bigotry are NOT family values. 

Rams Sign Michael Sam To Four-Year Multi-Million Dollar Contract

The haters at the American Family Association will have to ramp up yet another unsuccessful boycott campaign in the wake of the St. Louis Rams' signing of a four year, multimillion dollar contract with openly gay Michael Sam (pictured above with his boyfriend).  The contract hopefully will put to rest for good the claims that no NFL team would ever sign an openly gay player.  The New Civil Rights Movement looks at this development. Here are some highlights:

The St. Louis Rams have signed Michael Sam to a four-year, $2.65 million dollar contract, officially making him the first openly gay player to be hired into a mainline professional sports team.

The Rams made the announcement yesterday afternoon, and in fact hired all eleven picks from their entire 2014 draft class.

Sam, who is 24, is guaranteed at least $46,000, according to Fox Sports. “Let’s do this!!” Sam tweeted after the news was announced.

In early February, Michael Sam announced that he is gay, not wanting to surprise a future employer. He has become a flash point for conservatives, one that exploded when he was drafted into the NFL last month. Sam, as many players do, kissed his significant other — in this case, a man — infuriating social conservatives who thought it was a ratings plot by ESPN.

Bigots Claim Rams' Draft of Gay Player Violated Their Religious Freedoms

The last few days have truly provided a bumper crop of examples of Christofascst lunacy as the godly folk have gone absolutely batshit crazy over gay marriage and the St. Louis Ram's drafting of Michael Sam.  What truly put the drooling, spittle flecked "godly folk" completely into crazy land was ESPN's broadcast of Michael Sam learning that he had been selected and the following kiss that he gave to his very attractive boyfriend.  Since Sam's draft, these folks have had nothing short of apoplexy and have gone berserk claiming that somehow the Rams and the NFL have trampled on their religious freedom.  How any of this amounts to an interference with their religious freedom rights isn't explained, particularly since if they find gays offense, then all they need do is to change the TV channel.  Christian Post provides an example of this unhinged batshitery:

Jack Burkman, head of the Washington, D.C. lobbying firm J.M. Burkman & Assoc. who is seeking to ban gays from the NFL, says he intends to build a national coalition to boycott any football franchise that picks openly gay football player Michael Sam in the NFL Draft, which starts Thursday at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

In a release issued Thursday, Burkman said he would "leverage his political clout" to ensure that the franchise that selects the 6-foot-2, 260-pound defensive end from Missouri would get "roughed up financially."

"The NFL, like most of the rest of American business, is about to learn that when you trample the Christian community and Christian values there will be a terrible financial price to pay," said Burkman.

WWJD?  Obviously, not what Burkman is advocating.  As noted in the previous post, what is really going on is that the Christofascists are beginning to slowly realize that the tables are turning and it is they, not gays, who are about to be the ones shunned by decent society. A piece in Salon entitled "Michael Sam is the New Normal" looks at this process of the tables turning on the "godly folk" who at least in Virginia are 9 times out of 10 openly racist to boot:

It would have been historic even without the kiss. But while the critics continue their predictable frothing over Michael Sam’s emotional response this weekend to his NFL draft, it doesn’t change the fact that the world is a different place now because of it.

That he’d already scored an endorsement deal with Visa indicated that being gay doesn’t have to make a man sponsorship-averse, but it also didn’t guarantee a career – or indicate what that career would look like.

That changed on Saturday in the span of a phone call – and the moments immediately afterward. It happened not just with the Rams’ indication that the NFL is ready for an openly gay player, but in Sam’s tearful, bowled over response. It happened when he joyfully smooched his boyfriend Vito Cammisano — and in the way an entire roomful of jubilant friends and family witnessed the whole thing and supportively celebrated with them.

The partners of sports figures always tend to attract attention. The WAGS (women and girlfriends) are part of the culture of the NFL, a lusted-after collection of supermodels and actresses. It’s going to be different from here on in. Having now seen a photo of Cammisano shirtless, I fully support this new expansion of the pool to include husbands and boyfriends.

But that gay, interracial display of affection was guaranteed to blow a few gaskets. 

While that kiss might not do anything to open the hearts of the crazy YouTube ranters, it is a big step toward tolerance and equality. So if you’ve somehow managed to successfully avert your eyes for too long, or think that gay people are fine as long as they’re not being gay in front of you, go ahead and look. It’s not scary or strange. This is love. This is celebration. This is normal. And as long ago Harvey Milk said, “Once they realize that we are indeed their children, that we are indeed everywhere, every myth, every lie, every innuendo will be destroyed once and for all.”

Due to their sick psychological need to feel superior to others and their bizarre fear of any challenge to their fantasy world religious beliefs (I increasingly see it as a form of mental illness), Michael Sam, his boyfriend Vito and other gays who refuse to knuckle under to Christofascist dogma send this "godly folk" literally into a near mental breakdown.   The message, of course is that we need to maintain the pressure.  The more crazy the "godly folk" become, the sooner it will be that no one decent and moral gives them the time of day.  Which is exactly what they deserve.
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Michael Sam Drafted by the St. Louis Rams

In the last day of the NFL draft, openly gay Michael Sam was drafted by the St. Louis Rams, dispelling claims by homophobes that no team would draft an out gay player.  Kudos to the Rams.  And kudos to Michael Sam for his courage.  Amazingly, ESPN carried a video of Sam learning that he had been drafted and embracing and kissing his boyfriend.  I'm sure numerous heads exploded amongst the hate filled "godly folk."  Here are details from Out Sports:

Michael Sam has been drafted by the St. Louis Rams with the 249th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He is the first openly gay athlete selected in the NFL Draft and becomes the first openly gay active player in NFL history.

Analysts had largely predicted he would be drafted on the third day of the draft, with most saying he would be selected in the fifth round. When he came out in February, most analysts had him being selected in the third to fifth round. Going in the seventh round is not a stretch from the earlier predictions. Sam's subpar performance at the NFL Combine likely hurt his draft stock a bit.

Sam came out publicly in February to overwhelming support. He had been out as gay to his team at Missouri but had not made a public announcement until talk to Outsports, ESPN and the New York Times.

This week has been big for Sam. On Wednesday, ESPN announced he would be the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. He also signed a deal with Visa, . . . .

It will be fascinating in the coming days to watch the reaction to the drafting of Sam. Some will point to his sexual orientation as the reason he wasn't drafted earlier.

Ultimately, Sam was selected in the NFL Draft, and that's what matters. He beat out thousands of other prospects for his ability to help a team. His character, his leadership, his onfield performance and his Combine performance were all weighed and the Rams made their selection when they thought they had to. His ability to sell jerseys and contribute to a national conversation were also likely taken into consideration, even though the team's coaches, owner and front office will likely dismiss that assertion.

Gay Acceptance and Diversity at UVA

Students in front of UVA's main library

From time to time my Alma mater does me proud.  It has changed greatly since I first started at the University of Virginia ("UVA") more than 40 years ago and by some estimations is among Virginia's most progressive universities despite its often preppy image.  Even back in my day there was an LGBT student group not that I ever had the courage to admit to myself that I was gay much less attend a meeting.  Now, a story in Out Sports underscores just how far things have come - it's a message that the Virginia GOP needs to wake up to.  Here are highlights and some photos:

What is diversity? Students at the University of Virginia wanted to show that it is more than a buzzword and to make the campus more inclusive. Along those lines, three students created an awesome Tumblr, "We Are All UVa," where students took photos holding placards talking about their experiences, good or bad.

Parker Camp, a varsity swimmer who told his coming out story on Outsports last month, saw the Tumblr and got inspired. He got four teammates to come up with this terrific photo:

 

 

The other gay swimmer is open and comfortable on the team but did not want publicity, so we are not identifying him. Nor are we going to tell you who is gay or straight, since not caring is the whole point of what the athletes did with the photo. Swimmer Brad Phillips said this to Outsports:

"Taking the photo with them was the least I could do to prove to them that our friendships are unaffected by their coming out.  But I'm pretty sure the only reason Parker asked to hold the sign was to hide how fat he's become since our season ended!"

"We Are All UVa," modeled after a similar project at Harvard, is really wonderful and worth your time. As one of the creators told the campus newspaper: "Diversity includes the differences we can't see. It's more than race and ethnicity. ... Diversity is meant to be [an] inclusive concept; the point of challenging it is that it can be a very polarizing conversation."

No doubt, if Victoria Cobb of The Family Foundation, Christofascist dominatrix to the Virginia GOP, has gotten wind of this effort she will be acting as if someone peed (or worse) in her Cheerios!  I also enjoyed these photos:

Click image to enlarge

Kudos to these students at UVA!!

Openly Gay Anton Hysen Signs with Myrtle Beach Mutiny Soccer Team

It what is a surprising and likely interesting move, openly gay European soccer player has signed with Mutiny, a pro-soccer team based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  Admittedly, Myrtle Beach is not representative of the rest of the state , but it is still surprising that a team in what is generally viewed as one of the most reactionary states in America would sign an openly gay player like Anton Hysen (pictured above).  Out Sports has details.

Openly gay European soccer player Anton Hysén has signed with the Myrtle Beach Mutiny of the National Premier Soccer League. Myrtle Beach, in case you didn't know, is in South Carolina and the team, according to gay4soccer, "are in the fourth division of the American soccer pyramid, on par with the USL Premier Development League, and eligible for US Open Cup competition."

So an openly gay professional soccer player will be playing in South Carolina. Their division features teams across the Southeast. Not only is it supposed to be "impossible" for a professional male athlete to be openly gay, but it's "100% definitely impossible" to do it in South Carolina, Tennessee, George and the like. Yet Myrtle Beach is doing it. Not so impossible, I guess.

Here's the press release from the team:

March 5, 2014, Myrtle Beach, S.C. - The Myrtle Beach Mutiny of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) announced Thursday that they have signed international professional soccer player Anton Hysen for the 2014 season. 

Hysén is an English born, Swedish soccer player who has formerly played for Swedish football club Utsiktens BK as well as the Swedish national U-17 team. 

"I am excited to be joining the Mutiny this season," said Hysén. "This is a great opportunity for me on a personal and professional level. I hope I can help take the team to the top of the NPSL."

"The Mutiny are very excited to have Anton joining us this year," said Pat Piscitelli, sporting director for the Mutiny. "A player of his caliber, with his international experience, will bring a positive change to the Mutiny. The Myrtle Beach area is in for a real treat with this team and will have the opportunity to see professional soccer played at a very high level."

For everything gay and soccer, head over to gay4soccer.com. They do a great job of covering Robbie Rogers and other gay soccer issues and players like Hysen.

Notre Dame Tennis Star Player Comes Out As Gay

Slowly but steadily gay athletes are coming out of the closet.  Having been in the closet for 37 years myself, I know full well the toll it takes on one's soul and the sense of isolation that one must live with as one is always afraid of letting anyone too close lest they discover the secret.  For those making the bold move, it is in someways only the beginning of the journey since in today's society we have to come out over and over again as we meet new people and enter new situations.  But that said, coming to terms with one's self is the critical first step.  Among the latest athletes is Notre Dame tennis star Matt Dooley who has admitted that he once sought suicide as his solution to his sexuality.  Again, having traveled that route myself, I do understand how one can reach that point.  Fortunately he has put that behind him.  Here are highlights from HuffPo:

Notre Dame tennis player Matt Dooley said the hardest person to tell he was gay was himself.

"Saying gay for the first time was extremely tough, almost choking, because you know your life will never be the same. That was the hardest part, to move forward from there," the 22-year-old senior said Thursday. "For me at least, every part of my being was like, 'No, no you're not.' But I talk about growing. You learn to accept what you can't change, and this is something I can't change."

Dooley says he has received "overwhelmingly positive" feedback since disclosing publicly on Monday in an article posted on Outsports.com that he was gay. He had told his coaches in August and his teammates on Sept. 16, the two-year anniversary of trying to commit suicide by overdosing on pills because he was struggling with who he was.

"That day I wanted nothing more than to escape the anguish of coming out to my family, my friends, and, in a way, myself," he wrote in the article. "Death was better than accepting — or revealing — that I was gay."

Even after the suicide attempt, he ostracized himself from his family for more than seven months because he feared their reaction and because he was still struggling to accept who he was. He wouldn't return his family's phone calls or emails and stayed away when they tried to visit, even though they were fully behind him when he came out.

"It's internal homophobia," he said. "Often time it's more of what you think of yourself."

Dooley's disclosure comes a matter of weeks after Missouri football player Michael Sam came out publicly, setting himself up to perhaps be the first openly gay player in the NFL. Jason Collins recently became the first openly gay player in the NBA and just signed a second, 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets.

Dooley is working with the university's student welfare and development office to produce a video involving all teams at Notre Dame that will promote the You Can Play initiative, which fights sexual orientation discrimination. Members of PrismND, the first official organization dedicated to serving the gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning students on campus, were pleased to see Dooley come out.

"It's hard to imagine something like that happening even a couple of years ago, receiving the support he did from students on campus and the administration," said Bryan Ricketts, co-president of PrismND, which started last year.

Coach Ryan Sachire said it's been business as usual with the team.  "The guys have said, 'OK, it's part of Matt, it's who he is, that's great. We love him. He's still a great teammate of ours and we're going to move forward as a team and not think about it,'" he said.

Dooley, who is from New Braunfels, Texas, said he's received support from around the country and hasn't heard anything negative. Still, he sometimes struggles with certain thoughts, such as the idea he may never have children.

"I've come a long way and I'm comfortable with who I am. But I also wanted to explain that I'm not perfect. I'm not completely free from any pain from it. It's still there. Still at times it just hurts. Certain issues are still just painful," he said.

The most important message he wants to get out is to let people struggling with their identities know that they will be accepted.

Kudos to Dooley.  I hope in time he will find more peace with who he is and let go of negative feelings that come from our still too homophobic society not to mention anti-gay institutions like the Roman Catholic Church.  He is absolutely right that coming out to one's self is perhaps the hardest thing of all.  In your heart you know the truth even though you don't want to.  Being able to stand in front of a mirror and say "I'm gay, and it's OK" is a huge step.

 

Out In The Line-Up - Gay Surfers

UPDATED:  Here are links to more information on "Out In the Line-Up":
Watch Trailer : http://outinthelineup.com
Pre-order DVD: http://outinthelineup.com/pre-order/

Screenings dates: http://outinthelineup.com/screenings/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OutInTheLineUp

If one reads various post in this blog, one will learn that besides being gay I am also a surfer.  And I have gay friends who are also surfers.  Yet surfing like NFL football remains a very homophobic sport with gays seen as somehow not masculine enough to fit the image of the macho surfer stereotype.  This is true especially in the pro-surfing world.  And like all other anti-gay stereotypes it is without any empirical basis.  Gays can and do compete it every sport - some at very high levels.  Too often we/they are simply too afraid of rejection or adverse career consequences to let the world know who they really are in fact.  s a result wrongheaded stereotypes and bigotry continue.  When Gaysurfers launched in Australia I wrote about it and have stayed in contact with the group.  Here's a little bit on the organization which now has members across the globe:

Objectives

To bring gay surfers together. by maintaining an informative and interactive site where gay men and women can:

• Gather – create a global community which includes members from around the world who may be isolated geographically or socially.
  • Contact and liaise with local media
  • Organise events in local communities
• Share their passion for surfing
  • Publish on a regular basis articles, stories, photos and videos that are relevant to Gay Surfers
  • Create new topics for discussion in the forum
  • Facilitate user generated content (photos & videos)
  • Provide the tools for members to communicate privately and publicly.
  • Maintain a safe environment which values the privacy of members
  • Ensure quality control by moderating the forums and photos
  • Continuously improve the site with new functionality
• Plan surf trips
  • Build geo-specific GROUPS in which members can relate to their local communities.
  • Facilitate opportunities for surfers to network around the world
  • Provide MAPS for each of the GROUPS which show where the members are located, where they surf, and give access to relevant local information including accommodation, cafés, surfshops, etc.

• Improve the public image of gay by:

  • showing that gay people actively participate in a variety of sub-cultures within society, including surfing. Ensuring that GS is represented at gay celebrations such as MARDI GRAS

  • showing that we share a common passion for surfing and we represent part of a broadening surf culture around the world.

  • informing the general public of who we are Creating an open, informed and inclusive environment (we are gay and we welcome everyone who is open minded).

Now, to further this objective GaySurfers has produced a documentary on gays in surfing.  At its premier, the movie received a great review.  Here's a portion:

“It started with a Google search. I typed in the words 'gay' and 'surfer'”
 
They're not the first words spoken in Out In The Lineup but they make a fitting starting point for a review. Because although Out In The Lineup is a documentary it's also a journey and those words are the embarkation point.

They're spoken by David Wakefield, one-time state champion (beat Richard Cram!) and the main protagonist in the film. Out In The Lineup is a documentary made by Thomas Castets and Ian Thompson. Thomas is the founder of gaysurfers.net, Ian is a filmmaker, they're both surfers.

Thomas and Ian ask many questions in Out In The Lineup, yet their central mission was simply to find other gay surfers and have them tell their stories. They do this by loosely tacking the film's narrative journey to David's own journey, the one that began when he typed those two words into Google.

[H]is story is similar to many who are interviewed in the film. There was simply no room in the surfing culture for them to be the person they are. I speak in past tense though little has changed in the present. As David sets off on his journey to connect with others around the world, Thomas seeks to find out why the current surfing culture won't accept gay surfers.

Right about now many straight surfers will be saying that they do accept gay surfers. And individually that may be true, yet Thomas interviews surfers who show by way of media representation, sponsorship restrictions, and peer rejection that homophobia, however passive it may be packaged, is still present. The argument mounts.

If anyone questions why this film should be made then I'll point them to that moment.

And if that ain't enough then maybe I'll point out the surfing footage. Fortunately for the filmmakers David fair rips, as do many of the other interviewees: Keala Kennelly of course, Franco Vergara from Ecuador, and a couple of others. But I feel kinda churlish speaking about the surfing; the stories told are more powerful than requisite athletic talent, and the people who tell them braver than the boldest big wave rider.

Out In The Lineup will be following the movie festival circuit and I'd advise every surfer to go along and watch it.

Hopefully, the film will play in Hampton Roads, perhaps at the Naro Theater in Norfolk.

The Insane Panicof Homophobes in the Locker Room!

With the Michael Sam's announcement that he is a proud gay man, we are once again seeing more of the mindless panic of homophobes - many of which strike me as none too confident in their own sexuality - at the thought that they might be in the same locker room as a gay man who, oh the horrors, might see them naked.  Frank Bruni has a column in the New York Times that underscores the ridiculousness of such idiotic panic not the least because these homophobic cretins have been sharing locker rooms with and showering in front of gays for most of their lives.  They simply did not know it.  And then there is the reality that many of these idiots might not even meet the standards of self-respecting gay men.  I am often struck how some of the least attractive straight men worry about gays looking at them or making a pass.  Maybe in their dreams but not in the real world.  Here are highlights from Bruni's column:

A news flash for every straight man out there: You’ve been naked in front of a gay man.

In fact you’ve been naked, over the course of your life, in front of many gay men, at least if you have more than a few years on you. And here you are — uninjured, uncorrupted, intact. The earth still spins. The sun rises and sets.

Maybe it was in gym class, long ago. Maybe at the health club more recently. Or maybe when you played sports at the high school level, the college level, later on. Whether we gay guys are one in 10 or one in 25, it’s a matter of chance: At some point, one of us was within eyeshot when you stripped down.

And you know what? He probably wasn’t checking you out. He certainly wasn’t beaming special gay-conversion gamma rays at you. That’s why you weren’t aware of his presence and didn’t immediately go out and buy a more expensive moisturizer and a disc of Judy Garland’s greatest hits. His purpose mirrored yours. He was changing clothes and showering. It’s a locker room, for heaven’s sake. Not last call at the Rawhide.

On Sunday evening, in a story in The Times by John Branch and on ESPN, a college football star named Michael Sam came out. Because Sam is almost certain to be drafted, he could soon be the first openly gay active player in the National Football League — in any of the four major professional sports in the United States.

Most reactions from the sports world were hugely positive, even inspirational.  Some were not.

“It’d chemically imbalance an N.F.L. locker room,” an N.F.L. personnel assistant, speaking anonymously, said to Sports Illustrated. I think steroids, Adderall and painkillers have already done a pretty thorough job of that, and on the evidence of his comment, they’ve addled minds in the process.

Sports Illustrated quoted an unnamed assistant coach who also brought up the fabled sanctum of Tinactin and testosterone. “There’s nothing more sensitive than the heartbeat of the locker room,” he said. “If you knowingly bring someone in there with that sexual orientation, how are the other guys going to deal with it?”

To his question, a few of my own: When did the locker room become such a delicate ecosystem? Is it inhabited by athletes or orchids? And how is it that gladiators who don’t flinch when a 300-pound mountain of flesh in shoulder pads comes roaring toward them start to quiver at the thought of a homosexual under a nearby nozzle? They may be physical giants, but at least a few of them are psychological pipsqueaks.

It’s just that those gay guys didn’t or haven’t identified themselves. Why would doing so make them a greater threat? Wouldn’t an openly gay athlete have a special investment in proving that there’s zero to worry about?

Michael Sam proved as much at the University of Missouri, where teammates learned of his sexual orientation before their most recent season. They finished 12-2, and are publicly praising him so far. Nothing about trembling or cowering in the showers.

The person who raises that fear, Amaechi said, “is a bigot finally falling over the cliff and grasping for any straw that might keep their purchase. When every rational argument is gone, you go with that.”

Well said.

NFL Prospect Michael Sam Comes Out

Someone had to be the first to do it and now Michael Sam (pictured above), an All-American defensive lineman from the University of Missouri, has revealed that he's gay.  In fact, he has stated that "I'm an openly, proud gay man."  Given his outstanding record as a college player, he should be a high draft choice and he has the possibility he could be the first openly gay player drafted by the National Football League.  Moreover, should he not fare well in the draft, the NFL will have a hard time proving that it is not the bastion of homophobia and anti-gay hatred that some allege.  Obviously, it will be interesting to see if the NFL steps and proves that it is supportive to all players, gay or straight.  Bleacher Report.com has details.  Here are excerpts:

One of the last barriers of bigotry in all of professional sports will soon fall: Former Missouri star defensive end Michael Sam, an All-American and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, has come out as gay.

Sam is expected to be a high-round draft pick in May, which would set a series of historic firsts in motion. He would be the first openly gay player drafted. Since most high-round picks make NFL rosters, he'd also likely be the first openly gay player in NFL history.

"I came to tell the world that I'm an openly, proud gay man," he told Chris Connelly of ESPN's Outside The Lines Sunday night.

“Michael has shown great courage in taking this step and not only do we support him, we are incredibly grateful. His decision to welcome us all into his world as he embarks upon a professional NFL career is an honorable one. This moment will resonate in a unique and important way for countless people, particularly LGBT youth,” said former Baltimore Raven and human rights activist Brendon Ayanbadejo . . .

One general manager told Bleacher Report that Sam, 6'2" and 255 pounds, will be a true test of whether or not the NFL is actually open to all kinds of players. He believes that if Sam falls past the third round, then "something stinks. Because this guy is easily a high-rounder."

Bleacher Report NFL Draft Lead Writer Matt Miller agrees that Sam's talents should result in his getting picked in an early round.

"As a player, Michael Sam was one of the most impactful defenders in college football last season," Miller said. "Playing left defensive end, he was able to produce All-American numbers by using his quickness off the ball and high-level instincts.

Sam will have to withstand being the center of attention outside and inside the locker room. And many believe his teammates may have a hard time accepting him.

The NFL reiterated it has a workplace conduct policy that prohibits discrimination of any kind. A portion of the collective bargaining agreement also states: "There will be no discrimination in any form against any player by the NFL, the Management Council, any Club or by the NFLPA because of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or activity or lack of activity on behalf of the NFLPA."

The historic nature of this cannot be overstated. An openly gay player in America's most popular sport has the potential to change a great deal all across the sports world. Gay NFL players—as well as players in other sports—have come out after they retired but never during their career, or, as Sam is doing, as their NFL career is beginning.

Sam's declaration has the potential to open other fronts on this issue as well. It can make current closeted NFL athletes less fearful. It could provide support to younger athletes, in high school or younger, that they don't have to deny their sexuality.

Kudos to Michael Sam.  Now let's see the NFL put its money where its mouth has been.

Super Bowl MVP Winner Aaron Rodgers Allegedly Outed By Rumored Boyfriend

The saying goes that "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."  Well, that apparently also applies in the gay world with angry ex-boyfriends.  Or at least that is the rumor swirling about concerning Super Bowl MVP winner Aaron Rodgers and Kevin Lanflisi, the man who worked as Rodgers’ “personal assistant.”  Time will tell whether or not the rumors are true, of course.  Meanwhile, homophobes among the pro footabll watching set will likely have their panties in a wad.  Here are excerpts from Queerity:

Rumors are swirling that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was one of the NFL stars expected to come out of the closet this summer, and a cyber sleuth site is all but confirming it with a wealth of dirt that suggests he’s also in a gay relationship.

The Fame Driven was apparently tipped off by an anonymous “spy,” who pointed to a number of now-deleted tweets from the Twitter account of Kevin Lanflisi, the man who worked as Rodgers’ “personal assistant” and lived in his home as “a roommate” for the last several years. (Kinda like Kerry Rhodes and his “friend”…)

According to the spy:

Aaron has attended numerous sports award shows with Kevin, always color coordinated and without any double female dates, including the ESPY’s. Kevin was also the first person Aaron embraced when the Packers won the Super-bowl in 2011. I just find it really strange that as of late there has been many bitter subliminal tweets on Kevin Lanflisi’s twitter alluding to a relationship much deeper than a friendship he had, with who I perceive to be Aaron Rodgers, because Kevin has NEVER once tweeted about having a girlfriend, just mainly about the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers, and Justin Bieber’s music and sitting front row at Bieber’s concert. There has been speculation for years here in Wisconsin that Aaron is gay.

Rodgers first referred to the super-cute Lanflisi as his “roommate” in a 2008 interview with Sporting News, saying they “just hit it off” when Lanflisi was interning for the Packers. “He’s been great for me as far as great conversations outside of football,” he said. “Our friendship goes a lot deeper than what we do.”

A source close to the couple also claimed their relationship is now in turmoil as a result of the botched mass NFL outing scheduled over the summer. Aaron Rodgers was allegedly one of the men involved, and his backing out at the last minute infuriated Lanflisi, shattering their relationship.

If their rumored relationship is actually fact, the truth could come sooner than we’d have thought. In the words of Kevin Lanflisi himself, “Silence always comes with an expiration date..”

If the rumors are true, they highlight one of the soul-killing aspects of being in the closet - the constant fear of outing and never being able to live one's life honestly.  If the rumors are true, I also wish the best of luck to both Rodgers and Lanflisi.  Hopefully, some day being gay will be a non-issue.

Gay Pro Soccer Player Robbie Rogers To Join Los Angeles Galaxy

Perhaps we are indeed beginning to see a glacially slow change in pro sports.  First an openly gay member of the NBA.  Now a openly gay pro soccer player.  When will a member of the NFL come out?  This blog looked at soccer player Robbie Rogers back in February when he came out.  Unfortunately, he simultaneously announced his retirement.  But now, he is rejoining the pro sports world and is reported to have been signed by the Los Angeles Galaxy team.  USA Today has the story.  Here are excerpts:

Coming out and coming back — each was a difficult decision for Robbie Rogers, and one complicated the other. 

He told the world in February that he is gay and at the same moment said he was leaving soccer. Now, Rogers is reversing field and has agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Galaxy, according to two people familiar with the negotiations. Both spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because the Galaxy has not announced the deal.

Rogers will be the first active openly gay player in Major League Soccer. 

He also hopes to play for the U.S. national team in the 2014 World Cup — and to be the role model for gay teens that he wished he'd had.

Rogers' epiphany to return to the game came when he spoke to a group of about 500 kids at the Nike Be True LGBT Youth Forum in Portland last month.

"I seriously felt like a coward," he tells USA TODAY Sports in an exclusive interview about his return. "These kids are standing up for themselves and changing the world, and I'm 25, I have a platform and a voice to be a role model. How much of a coward was I to not step up to the plate?"

"I want to come back and be that voice, be that role model," Rogers says. "I want to compete on the field. I want to make it back to the national team. I want to be a role model. I have a lot of motivating factors working for me right now."  "There's a lot to be excited about. It's awesome to be part of a movement that is changing our society."

Needless to say, we will probably hear more hyperventilating and nastiness from the Christofascists who only feel good about themselves when denigrating and stigmatizing others.