WWE superstar Darren Young Comes Out

The Christofascists and their political whores in the Republican Party like to depict gays as mincing, effeminate men or drag queens, so it is always delicious when a public figure comes out and blows this carefully crafted and inaccurate stereotype utterly to Hell.  We can now add the name Darren Young (pictured above) to the list of individuals who have revealed the bogus nature of the gay stereotype promulgated by our enemies.  As TMZ reports, Young, a superstar in the WWE world just came out as gay.  Here are story highlights:

WWE superstar Darren Young just dropped a bombshell, telling TMZ, he's gay ... and no, this isn't part of the act.

Darren was at LAX Wednesday when we asked whether a gay wrestler could succeed in WWE, and Darren laughed, saying, "Absolutely. Look at me. I'm a WWE superstar and to be honest with you, I'll tell you right now, I'm gay. And I'm happy. I'm very happy."

For the record, Darren is now the first openly gay wrestler ever at WWE ... and the first headlining wrestler ever to come out while still signed to a major promotion.

Other pro wrestlers have been rumored to be gay, but that's it ... just rumors.

Bottom line: this is big, big news. For all its chauvinism and testosterone-driven bravado, coming out in WWE is tantamount to coming out in the NFL.

Of course, wrestling is a little different, particularly because of how physical it is, and how little clothing is involved -- but Darren is completely unfazed.

Young is also receiving full support from the WWE ... which says it's "proud of Darren Young for being open about his sexuality."

A rep for the organization adds, "We will continue to support him as a WWE Superstar.  Today, in fact, Darren will be participating in one of our Be A Star anti-bullying rallies in Los Angeles to teach children how to create positive environments for everyone regardless of age, race, religion or sexual orientation."

Tony Perkins, Bryan Fischer and other anti-gay hate merchants must be beside themselves.   I love it!!

Rugby Star Gareth Thomas Comes Out

The media and our enemies like to depict gay males as effeminate and unmanly. Indeed, when I was on the Cathy Lewis show earlier this month, one caller said he did not want to be associated with the "gay community" but preferred to refer to himself as homosexual because of the negative stereotype often associated with gay men. The reality, of course, for those us us deeply involved in the LGBT community know that gay males come in all shapes and sizes as do lesbians many of whom do not remotely fit the "butch dyke" stereotype. Thus, I applaud when individuals like rugby star Gareth Thomas (pictured above) come out because they definitely shatter the would be stereotype. Here are some highlights on Thomas' coming out via Sky News:
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Rugby star Gareth Thomas has said he hopes coming out publicly will "send a positive message" to the sport.The 35-year-old wants young gay people, particularly those with aspirations in sport, to be reassured after he became the first high-profile player to announce he is gay.
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The former British and Irish Lions and Wales captain, a supporter of the children's charity NSPCC, said: "If it makes one young lad pick up the phone to ChildLine, then it will have been worth it." Thomas said he became aware of his sexual orientation at the age of 16 or 17 but could not accept it and feared it would affect his playing career. He told the Daily Mail he was "anxious about people's reactions" but "just couldn't ignore it any more".
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The rugby star, Wales's most-capped player, said he realised in summer 2006 that he could no longer live a lie. He told his wife, Jemma, that he was gay and admitted cheating on her with male partners. Thomas, who plays for Cardiff Blues, said he felt like his life was "falling apart" as his four-year marriage broke down.
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The star recounted to the paper how he cried in the changing rooms of Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, after representing Wales in November 2006. He later came out to coach Scott Johnson, who advised he speak to a few of his international colleagues for support. Thomas said: "He told two of my team-mates, Stephen Jones and Martyn Williams, and as I sat in the bar waiting for them, I was absolutely terrified, wondering what they were going to say. "But they came in, patted me on the back and said: 'We don't care. Why didn't you tell us before?'
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I can commiserate with Thomas' experience in coming out after being married to a woman. I suspect he married for the best of intentions and not just to hide who he was. The pressure to conform to societal and religious expectations can be so powerful. As more people come out, one can only hope that fewer people will feel the need to try to be what they are not.

Butching Up Figure Skating

Having a daughter who was a competitive figure skater for about seven years and having spent a great deal of time at ice rinks waiting for her events to come up, I've seen many a male figure skater not to mention those seen on televised events. Thus I found it ironic and perhaps even a little sad that Skate Canada plans on unveiling a campaign to combat the "gay stereotype" of male figure skaters in the hope of attracting more male skaters. The truth is that high level figure skating is very physically challenging and takes amazing strength and coordination - far more indeed than many other sports. Grace and style should be applauded, not called "gay." Not to mention the fact that most male figure skaters are Einsteins compared to many of the borderline morons one finds in say football. Here are some highlights from Out Sports:

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Figure skating has long been the butt of gay jokes. An organization in Canada is now saying it’s likely one of the reasons that young male skaters in Canada have turned more and more to hockey instead of figure skating; Few boys want to be the targets of gay jokes. From the CBC now comes a report that Skate Canada will unveil a campaign to combat the stereotype. “Tough” is aimed to show how strong and masculine male figure skaters are.

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The report talks to Canadian ice dancer Andrew Poje (that’s him above. . . ), who told the CBC that gay rumors have “always been something I’ve been teased about.” . . . You don’t know how hard it is physically. If I can compare what a long program feels like, it’s like running a 1500 meter hurdle with a smile on your face. So you go out and try that and come talk to me.

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But the best question to ask may be, Will it work? Will showing guys tossing women into the air and catching them while skating backward transform how teenagers view a gay sport?