Ian Roberts: The 'responsibility' of gay athletes
[The Australian, February 19, 2011]

Former rugby league player Ian Roberts explains why gay footballers are still afraid to come out of the closet.

GC: Last year Jason Akermanis warned gay players in the AFL to remain in the closet, saying an openly gay player could "break the fabric of a club."

IR: That's absolute bullshit. It really underestimates the intelligence and understanding of people. I am still involved with footy - at arm's length. I'm still involved with Souths [rugby league] club and in the 20 years since I played with the Rabbitohs I've never felt any serious sense of homophobia. That's rugby league - and I can't believe the AFL would be much different. The younger AFL players today would be more tolerant than when I was on the field. Break the fabric of a club? He can't be serious. Who does Akermanis think he is talking to?

GC: Akermanis brought up the issue of players being uncomfortable in the showers and locker rooms with a gay teammate.

IR: (Laughing.) Don't flatter youself, Aker! That's all in your own head, man. It was well known in rugby league circles I was gay, long before I came out. Most of my teammates knew I was gay as far back as when I was playing with Souths. The whole locker room thing wasn't a problem, and nobody behaved any differently to me than any other player. Gareth Thomas [former Wales rugby captain, who came out last year] described how accepting all his teammates were towards him. Not one had a problem with his being gay. And they didn't start treating him differently once they knew. Every gay sports person should get up and say something if this kind of stupidity is ever raised again. It's offensive.

GC: So you never experienced any anti-gay prejudice while you were playing?

IR: I can recall two instances, in representative footy, which were pretty much words said in the heat of the moment against me. And I defended myself on both occasions. I told one of them not to kid himself. That's twice in 14 years - not a bad strike rate. Stand up to prejudice on and off the field and most blokes will respect you. I'm not saying it's never hurtful, however.

[Continued here]

• Interview with Ian Roberts [ABC, September 26, 2005]

I tried to conceal the fact that I was gay, at that time, and, and still I had a, male partners, boyfriends, trying to conceal that and, and, and work out the right combination, or the right equation, for the general public or even friends and family. Well I haven't got the right one, or the correct one, because I did it so terribly. I used to go into clubs or bars, I'd, I'd come up with the most fumbling excuses, like it was just for the music. Everyone always seemed to know that I'd been in a gay bar every time I turned up for training, 'Robbo, you up Oxford Street again, eh?', and in a way, I mean, I kind of turned it in my own, into my, you know, my favour, that I was a bit out there, you know, I was a bit cool.

When I, when I came out officially it was probably by that stage one of the worst kept secrets, you know, in rugby league. Anyone who knew me within rugby league, within the fraternity, knew that I was gay. It, it was just something that wasn't spoken about, so when I came out it wasn't like it shocked a great many people. But, it shocked a few in the public, yeah, but, but by that stage I, I must admit, it was so a non-issue for me, and I mean that with all my heart, it was, you know, now, I look back now, my God, nowadays I get reminded that I'm gay.

David Cameron: Why it's vital to kick homophobia out of sport [Pink News, June 22, 2011]

What made the reception so special was that guests representing the elite end of sports were able to meet and chat to those participating at grassroots level. There is a thriving sporting life in the LGBT community and a great array of clubs were at the event, such as Stonewall FC, Kings Cross Steelers, Frontrunners and Pride Sports. The UK is currently bidding for two international LGBT sporting events, the 2015 Euro Games in Manchester and the Gay Games in 2018 in London (which could give us something to cheer on that year, given we lost the World Cup bid) and those leading both bids were also there and I wish them every luck.

The presence of so many of sports governing bodies was significant as it was a very clear statement that homophobia and transphobia is something they take seriously. I think we're all agreed that we've got a long way to go before we stamp both out. Language and behaviour that isn't acceptable in the playground, or in the workplace, can still be heard on the pitch, in the dressing rooms and in the stands.

In order to end homophobia and transphobia we need cultural change and we also need role models. Whereas we've many to choose from in business, the arts and politics, we have too few in sport. I congratulate Gareth Thomas and Steven Davies for the decision they made and the inspiration they've given and I am delighted that two of the all-time greats of tennis - two magnificent role models - are backing our work in this area: Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King - who I was delighted to welcome to No10. But, put simply, you don't have to be gay to be a role model, so we need others who care for this issue to stand up and be counted. Role models in sport are also needed to help tackle bullying in schools, young people look to the stars they admire and if we don't have enough positive role models then behaviour won't change. We also need these role models in the media so it was great to see both Kieron Richardson and Victoria Atkin from Hollyoaks at the reception.

[Continued here]

• Downing Street hosts summit on homophobia and racism in football [Pink News, February 23, 2012]

Delegates from football authorities and campaign groups were invited to Number 10 along with former players.

Welcoming guests, David Cameron said: "There are things for the government to do in terms of the training that we fund. There are things for football clubs to do, for football organisations to do, and I think if everyone plays their role then we can easily crush and deal with this problem."

Those present included Jason Roberts, John Barnes, Graeme Le Saux, Mark Bright, Garth Crooks and David Bernstein, chairman of the FA, which this week took swift disciplinary action against West Ham United player Ravel Morrison for his use of the word "faggot" on Twitter.

Hudson Taylor: Unlocking the College Coach's Closet
[Huffington Post, January 18, 2012]

As a Division I wrestling coach and activist in this space, I have had the opportunity to speak to closeted college coaches around the country. Many fear that coming out would jeopardize their job security in an environment that provides few administrative options when discrimination occurs. These concerns exist among coaches working at private and public colleges and universities, including those with a reputation for progressive, egalitarian policies. It is no surprise, therefore, that openly LGBT college coaches are rare. For example, Sherri Murrell from Portland State is the only openly gay coach in NCAA Division I basketball, and Kirk Walker from Oregon State is the only openly gay Division I softball coach.

Like their straight counterparts, LGBT coaches are in a cutthroat profession that evaluates success game by game and season by season. While high-profile Division I coaches benefit from multi-year contracts and large salaries, the vast majority of us have short contracts that keep us moving from job to job. Though a coach's success is often measured by improvement against past performance, anything less than a championship title threatens his or her livelihood. This competitive reward structure validates termination for a wide range of "performance-based" reasons. It also compels coaches who fall outside the heterosexual norm to feel particularly vulnerable, because of the ease with which an administrator can mask a bias-motived termination. Accusing a coach of "inferior performance" or even of having a "negative attitude," for example, provides ample cover when the real reason lies elsewhere. The mere possibility that a coach's sexual orientation could play an off-the-record role in his or her job security is sufficient to keep many in the closet. ...

LGBT college coaches are leaders. They are sources of knowledge and empowerment for thousands of students around the country. The athletic community must first acknowledge their presence to understand the contributions they make to their athletes, teams and schools. We must take responsibility for our role in keeping so many closeted and invest in the research necessary to improve their experiences. The policy changes that result will extend the progress seen in 2011 to new levels and break down barriers for which sports should have no tolerance.

[Continued here]

• Athlete Ally

A resource to encourage athletes, coaches, parents, fans and other members of the sports community to respect all individuals involved in sports.

Dad on teen athlete son's coming out: 'A liberation for all of us'
[Out Sports, November 29, 2011]

Dear Jim and Cyd:

Outsports.com posted a story by my son, Galen Dodd, about his experiences of coming out to his friends, family and volleyball teammates. You noted that Galen, at 15, was probably the youngest contributor who had submitted a coming out story to your publication.

I just wanted to tell you about some of the responses to his story we have all gotten this week. And the good news is the responses have been unanimously positive.

[Continued here]

• Coming out is liberating for 15-year-old high school volleyball player Galen Dodd [Out Sports, October 23, 2011]

Three dates will forever be ingrained in my mind: July 17th, 2009, the day I came out to my sister and a group of 50 (almost) random strangers. April 22nd, 2010, the day I came out to my parents with the help of my sister and introduced them to my first boyfriend. And, most recently, Aug. 26th, 2011, the day I came out publicly. These three dates signify part of who I am. Being gay is only part of me - I am also a volleyball player, a student, a son, a friend and so much more.

I first started to understand that I was different when I was 10 years old, in fifth grade, when I had my first introduction to health. Sitting at those wooden tables watching a video on puberty and health, all I could wonder about was how the other guys in the room felt about the subject of girls and guys. I wasn't sure whether I was the only one not thinking about girls.

Football head: Gay players welcome [The Local, January 18, 2012]

Players should have the "courage to declare themselves," Theo Zwanziger said Tuesday during a public discussion on sexuality in elite sports at the Sportschule Hennef near Cologne. He said the situation for gay players in football was much better than it had been.

The comments come amid increasing criticism of star footballer Philipp Lahm over remarks he made earlier this week implying that Germany is not ready for gay athletes. ...

National footballer Mario Gomez told Bunte magazine in 2010 that if they outed themselves, gay athletes "would then play as though they've been unshackled."

On Tuesday Zwanziger said good players would be respected no matter their national origin or sexual orientation.

[Continued here]

• Germany and Bayern star Mario Gomez urges gay footballers to go public [The guardian, November 11, 2010]

The Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez has broken ranks with the football establishment, including members of his own team and the German football federation, who have warned that coming out could destroy a player's career.

But Gomez, who has not said whether he is gay, told a German magazine that being honest about their sexuality would improve gay players' performance.

"They would play as if they had been liberated," Gomez said. "Being gay should no longer be a taboo topic."

The 25-year-old, who was voted German footballer of the year in 2006-7, added that there were plenty of role models in the rest of German society to give gay players the courage to come out. "We've got a gay vice-chancellor [Guido Westerwelle]; the Berlin mayor [Klaus Wowereit] is gay. So professional footballers should own up to their preference," he said.

Joey Barton: We must accept openly gay footie stars: Premier League hard
man tells of uncle's secret [The Sun, January 30, 2012]

Joey Barton has spoken out in support of gay footballers - as he revealed his own uncle is homosexual.

The tough-tackling QPR midfielder says his father's youngest brother hid his sexuality for years, fearing Joey and society would reject him.

Now the star believes that, if today's players set a better example, Britain could lead the way in stamping out homophobia in football.

And he reckons the Premier League will have an openly gay star within as little as ten years. ...

He tells the show Britain's Gay Footballers: "It's a subject quite close to my heart because my dad's youngest brother, the youngest of my uncles, is gay. And I didn't know for a long, long time.

"He thought because of the society that we were brought up in, which was quite working class, that it would be frowned upon or that we would disown him.

"So for a lot of years he was in turmoil and was resenting himself for the fact he had these feelings.

"I was like, 'I love you for you - not for the fact that you are straight or bisexual or all different manner of things. I love you because you're you.' "

Barton blames the fears of team managers for homophobia in football, where none of Britain's 5,000 professionals is openly gay.

[Continued here]

Gay hockey league calls for ban on homophobia in NHL: Toronto team says 'not enough has
been done' to eliminate anti-gay culture [XTRA, September 29, 2011 ]

Some words are both powerful and hurtful, which is why public figures should be punished if they use them.

This is the message the Toronto Gay Hockey Association (TGHA) wants to send to the NHL and all professional sports teams.

The TGHA has called on the NHL to enforce a ban on homophobia following a Sept 26 on-ice incident in which Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds called Sean Avery, a player for the New York Rangers and also an outspoken advocate for gay rights, a "fucking faggot."

A Sept 28 TGHA press release states: "The NHL and its member teams must promote a fair and inclusive environment for all fans regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation. We challenge the NHL to adopt inclusive policies that protect homosexual players in the league who are afraid of coming out of the closet."

Hockey and professional sports are one of the only remaining areas where homophobia is still tolerated in Canada, says Bryan Frois, TGHA director of communications.

[Continued here]

• Locker room is ready for a gay player: NHL scout [CTV, November 4, 2011]

Philadelphia Flyers scout Patrick Burke is urging gay athletes to follow in the footsteps of his brother Brendan, who died nearly two years ago, and come out of the closet in the hyper-masculine world of sports.

"We need more straight and gay athletes at the professional level need to step up and say it's OK," he told CTV's National Affairs Friday. "We need more role models."

Burke, who is the son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, said his brother Brendan was the first gay person he really knew.

"Seeing him stand up at age 20 and say, 'I'm openly gay and my sports team accepts me and my family loves me,' I think that's a great role model for everyone everywhere to have the courage to be yourself and be a leader."

Burke said there's an unfortunate stereotype that gay men are less masculine and "having a masculine role model for a young male athlete would be a huge, huge step forward."

• NHLers take off the gloves against homophobia [Globe & Mail, March 4, 2012]

First, it's Rick Nash. Then Duncan Keith, Brian Boyle, Matt Moulson, Joffrey Lupul, Claude Giroux, Daniel Alfredsson, Scott Hartnell, Corey Perry, Andy Greene, Dion Phaneuf and Henrik Lundqvist.

As each of the NHL players repeats a simple message in a powerful public service announcement released Sunday, they add their voice to a growing movement aimed at creating a level playing field in the sport, regardless of sexual orientation.

It's the brainchild of Patrick Burke, a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers and the son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke. He created the "You Can Play" project to help eliminate the homophobic culture found in some corners of hockey.

In doing so, he called on powerful allies to help get the message across - and more than 30 NHL players responded by taping spots that will air throughout the remainder of the season.

"The messages are very simple, yet meaningful," Patrick Burke said in an interview. "It's variations of the idea that all they care about is winning, all they care about is having the best teammates and it doesn't matter if the best teammate happens to be gay or straight.

"That plays no role in whether or not they would accept their teammate and that they would all be welcoming and supportive of an openly gay teammate."

NFL adds 'sexual orientation' to anti-discrimination language in new CBA
[Wide Rights, September 23, 2011]

While the public focused on the major financial issues resolved in the new NFL collective bargaining agreement-revenue sharing, the salary cap, and a rookie wage scale-one change was the most newsworthy in my view: adding "sexual orientation" to the list of classifications protected from discrimination. ...

The new language in the 2011 CBA, now moved to Article 49, reads:

Section 1. No Discrimination: There will be no discrimination in any form against any player by 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.

[Continued here]

MLB's new collective bargaining agreement to add 'sexual orientation' to
discrimination clause [New York Daily News, November 22 2011]

Billy Bean knows the fear, and the trauma, provoked by hiding his sexual orientation for the sake of his career. Through his own experience, and through conversations with front-office friends forced to keep their private lives secret, Bean understands why no active MLB player, manager or executive has identified himself as gay.

"I have spoken many times with people who work in Major League Baseball, and they are afraid to come out, because they don't know how their owners and superiors would respond," said Bean, who played for the Tigers, Dodgers and Padres from 1987-1995.

In his 2003 memoir - "Going the Other Way" - Bean discussed his life as a major leaguer who hid his sexuality until after retirement. When he played, Bean was a not victim of overt discrimination because of one unfortunate fact: after realizing he was gay, he feared what would happen if he came out.

The 47-year-old, who now works in real estate in Miami, was glad to see baseball's newest collective bargaining agreement address sexual orientation, but did not believe that wording alone would create the necessary changes.

The new CBA, released Tuesday, added the words "sexual orientation" to its section on discrimination. This development was first reported by the Daily News, and later confirmed by a news release, issued jointly by MLB and the Players' Association, that read, "Non-discrimination based on sexual orientation were added to Article XV."

[Continued here]

NBA, players add sexual orientation protection to new labor deal
[Out Sports, December 8, 2011]

The NBA's new collective bargaining agreement adds sexual orientation protection to its non-discrimination, the league has said....

The NBA joins the NFL, NHL, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer in having such policies. This is important since its protects any player from being discriminated against (such as being cut) because he is gay.

[Continued here]

• Mark Cuban talks gays, women coaches and a hypocritical NBA [USA Today, December 19, 2011]

He also believes there will be an openly gay NBA player in 3-5 years and that it will be "more of a media sensation....than a player issue."

Paul Lewis: Sport's dirty little secret [New Zealand Herald, November 20, 2011]

Peter Roebuck's sad death brings up the vexed subject of gays in men's sport - and the, at times, almost unbearable pressure they must be under.

You read that right - men's sport. For some unaccountable reason, gays in women's sport cause barely a ripple on the surface of our composure but male homosexuality still seems to be something held under a tight, suffocating hold - even in the world's premier locker rooms and changing sheds.

Roebuck's plunge from a hotel window after apparently being told he would face sexual assault charges on a 26-year-old Zimbabwean male student is sad enough on its own. Factor in the heavily closeted world of male sports stars and the pressure ramps up hugely.

Roebuck was the former Somerset cricket captain, England player and latterly Sydney Morning Herald cricket writer - and one of the most gifted in the world - who got into trouble in 2001 when he received a suspended jail sentence for common assault after beating three teenage cricketers across their bare buttocks with a cane.

The South African boys had been invited to stay at his former home in Taunton during coaching but were subjected to corporal punishment after which one of the boys said: "The problem was not so much that he caned us but wanted to examine the marks.

That's when I decided to get out of his house."

I have to confess that, after the caning story, I (and probably many others) assumed Roebuck was gay. He never came out and, really, what did it matter? It didn't affect his cricket writing; he wasn't a sexuality-influenced scribe. He was just good at it; colourful and forceful in his Sunday Times and Sydney Morning Herald writings, even if I often didn't agree with him.

So why all the shame? Why should an incident-gone-wrong with a young man lead to Roebuck apparently pitching himself out of his hotel window to his death? Why is it so terrible for a cricket scribe to be outed in these liberal days? In women's sport, gays like Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King are accepted and even feted for their impact on their sport.

[Continued here]

• Sex, beatings, blackmail: the riddle over Roebuck [Sydney Morning Herald, January 1, 2012]

The former Somerset captain, much admired for his forthright opinions on cricket, shared precious little of himself. Perhaps Roebuck feared that if he did, his friends might not understand. His reputation would suffer and that was more than he could bear. The self-loathing would be plain for all to see. ...

Six weeks after Roebuck's death, Maziwisa and some of Roebuck's "sons" - who initially defended his reputation as a loving father figure - have now described a disturbingly dysfunctional lifestyle within the walls of the houses they shared.

They talk of sexual misconduct, Roebuck's repeated beatings of them on their bare buttocks and of the decision of some to blackmail him as he tried to protect his public reputation as a champion of education and social justice.

Yet Maziwisa - one of his chief accusers - does not condemn him; rather, he describes Roebuck as "a special person" in his life.

Roebuck was not a sexual predator, he says, but a flawed person who strove to express a genuine love through his generosity but who could not acknowledge his own complex sexuality - a tragedy that led to his downfall.

2nd GLISA North American Outgames — July 25 to 31, 2011



Runner competed in gay games in 1952 [Vancouver Courier, July 22, 2011]

Seattle-based runner and coach Len Tritsch has seen a lot in his 86 years, but says nothing beats watching the opening ceremonies of both the Gay Games and World Outgames he's attended in past decades.

"It's an unbelievable experience to watch thousands of gay and lesbian athletes marching together," says Tritsch. "Of course the mayors and governors get to add their two cents about how great gay people are."

Tritsch will both compete and coach next week during the Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association North America Outgames Vancouver 2011, which takes place across the city, Whistler and Burnaby from July 25 to 30. The first World Outgames was held in Montreal in 2006. More than 12,000 participants took part in the 36 sporting events, three-day human rights conference and 12 days of cultural celebrations. Since then World Outgames have taken place in Copenhagen, Denmark and Wellington, New Zealand. The first North America Outgames took place in Calgary in 2007, making the Vancouver event the second such games on the continent.

Tritsch, who started competing in track and field in 1939, competed and coached at the Montreal and Copenhagen World Outgames. In Vancouver, he'll compete with and coach the Seattle Frontrunners, the Seattle-based branch of an international walking and running club comprised of more than 300 gay and lesbian members and their friends. He will compete for medals in the 100, 200 and 400-metre races. Tritsch competed in an early version of the modern-day Gay Games in 1952 in which about 150 athletes took part. "Now we're in the thousands," he says. "I was in Vancouver when it hosted the Gay Games in 1990, so I'm looking forward to the Outgames."

[Continued here]

• Outgames: raising an eclectic orch for gays, lesbians in sport [Vancouver Sun, July 23, 2011]

Poker as a sport? Straights participating in a primarily gay and lesbian sports event?

The second GLISA North American Outgames to be held in Vancouver from July 25 to July 31 is practically a brand new baby on the ever-expanding sports block, so why not be so innovative?

The weeklong event promises to be a showy, somewhat eclectic extravaganza with dance sport being an example of another item on the agenda. There are some hardcore ones, too, like a 10-kilometre run in Stanley Park and soccer at UBC.

More than 800 athletes, most from North America, but some coming from as far away as Japan, will flood into the city to compete, party and reflect on gay issues in a human rights conference.

• Vancouver 2011 OutGames kicks off with flag relay [Straight, July 25, 2011]

Three flag-bearers dashed off by foot from City Hall today as part of a relay to launch the Vancouver 2011 North America OutGames.

"It's an incredible, emotional moment for the community because we've created something brand new that has never been done before, with a flag run," John Boychuk, Vancouver OutGames chair, told the Straight.

The other two legs of the relay were to start at the University of B.C. and at the bottom of Grouse Mountain, according to organizers. The routes end at the Vancouver Art Gallery for an opening ceremony tonight at 6 p.m.

"This is our city's opportunity to really show that we are a role model and a leader in the world," Boychuk said.

• Gay Pride Week gets colourful kick-off at City Hall [Vancouver Observer, July 25, 2011]

Pride Week and 2011 North American Outgames launched at City Hall at noon, celebrating Pride Parade's 33rd anniversary. In support of the event, Mayor Gregor Robertson, Councillors, VIP guests, flag runners, and a number of proud participants gathered to show their support.

"It's a great opportunity for us to host the games here in Vancouver...to bring the fantastic community together and welcome people from all over the world to celebrate with us," said Mayor Gregor Robertson, before reading out the Pride Proclamation.

"Vancouver has shown that it is a diversity in every sense of the word, and I think it's important that it's happening here in City Hall," said Vancouver Centre Liberal MP Hedy Fry.

"This is what pride is all about, and what the Outgames is all about. It's being out there, proud and loud and celebrating. I think it's wonderful, I really do."

Gay sport researcher [Dr Caroline Symons] honoured [Sydney Star Observer, July 23, 2011]

Victoria University researcher Dr Caroline Symons has won yet another accolade, this time for her book on the history of the Gay Games.

Symons' book, The Gay Games: A History, has taken out this year's Australian Society for Sports History (ASSH) Book Award prize.

Symons, a historian and sociologist who lectures in sports sociology and event management, said she was "honoured" to win the award said the win recognises GLBTI people in sport worldwide.

"One of my motives in writing the book was to acknowledge and celebrate the inclusiveness of the diverse queer community [and] to raise awareness of gay and lesbian sport among mainstream readers," she said.

"Sporting and cultural events are often described in organisational terms.

"I chose a different approach in this work by looking at the social context and impact of the Games."

The book, published in 2010, charts the life and times of the GLBTI sporting event from its humble beginings in San Francisco in 1982, through to Chicago in 2006, including a bitter division between organisers in 2004 which saw the birth of the rival Outgames.

[Continued here]

• The Gay Games: A History by Dr Caroline Symons [Amazon.ca, 2010]

Our Heroes, and sometimes our Martyrs



Obituary: Justin Fashanu [The Independent, May 4, 1998]

For individuals a little different from the crowd, professional football can be a cruelly insular world, and while sensitivity does exist in the macho environment of dressing room, practice pitch and bar, often it is well advised to keep its head down. Justin Fashanu was very different: he was gay and he admitted it, a combination with which, it seemed, many people within the English national game could not cope.

[Continued here]

• Peter Tatchell: Justin Fashanu — Homophobia Destroyed Him [PeterTatchell.net, May 5, 1998]

"A bloody poof!" That's how his manager at Nottingham Forest football club, Brian Clough, described his £1 million star player, Justin Fashanu. Homophobic attitudes like that unsettled Justin. Although he laughed them off, Clough's sneers hurt inside, making it hard for him to concentrate on playing 'the beautiful game'. No wonder his football career nose-dived.

• Ex-Norwich City star Justin Fashanu gets hall of fame banner [Norwich Evening News, February 28, 2011]
• Football needs to deal with Justin Fashanu or stop twisting his myth [Football Fan Cast, March 6, 2011]
• Team named after Justin Fashanu [BBC, March 7, 2009]
• The Justin Campaign — Campaigning Against Homophobia in Football [The Justin Campaign]
• Preview: Britain's Gay Footballers [Pink News, January 30, 2012]

A documentary by the niece of the late gay footballer Justin Fashanu examines tonight why he remains the only professional footballer in the UK to have ever come out.

Amal Fashanu's uncle killed himself in 1998 following years of struggles with homophobic bullying and an investigation into an alleged sexual assault, which was dropped.

In the film, Justin's brother John Fashanu tell his daughter: "I think there's more chance of the next Pope being black, than you finding a footballer who will come out and say he's gay.

David Kopay's Homecoming (1942— ) [University of Washington Alumni Magazine, December 2008]

David Kopay is a study in contradictions. He has retained his jocular handsomeness and muscular build, reminders of the imposing athlete he once was. They belie his age, his arthritis, and the litany of surgeries he has undergone the past several years-a pair of hip replacements, his right knee, his right shoulder. And he remains a public figure-an icon, even-but of the most reluctant sort. He lives alone in an elegantly understated home on a quiet street atop Queen Anne Hill, his days filled with the silence of time. The wall of privacy he has constructed around himself in the autumn of his life affords the solitude he so clearly desires. He is most at peace by himself. ...

Years later, when he finally went public about his homosexuality, some former teammates were amazed at his ability to perform under so much internal strain. "It certainly had to be a challenge for him, seeing the world through his eyes at that time," says Rick Redman, '66, a former UW teammate. "I am happy for him, the way in which he handled himself, and how he was able to perform under the conditions he was facing. I am proud to call him a teammate." In the years that followed, Kopay continued to wear a mask of heterosexual maleness-getting married (and later divorced) and feigning interest in chasing women, hoping to suppress his internal struggle, continuing to live his lie.

[Continued here or as a *.pdf file]

• David Kopay: Come Out of the Dark Ages [Washington Post, June 17, 2009]

Peter Karlsson (1966—1995) [Wikipedia]

Karlsson was murdered by a 29-year-old who used a knife to stab him. The murder is believed to have happened because Karlsson was gay and the killer subsequently claimed that Karlsson tried to initiate a relationship. After the murder, Karlsson's team played a protest match in support of him. The killer's sentence, which was eight years, outraged some in the Swedish gay community.

[Continued here]

• Peter Karlsson [Roofer on Fire, Sunday, May 30, 2010]

This man is Peter Karlsson and to date he is the only professional hockey player to come out as gay during his career. 15 years ago he was playing in his 11th pro season in Sweden and was a pretty popular player. While walking home from a post-game night on the town, the Orebo defenseman was attacked and killed by a skinhead. The hate-filled young man used the "gay panic" defense, and despite Peter Karlsson being stabbed 64 times, Miitri Lehto was sentenced to a mere 8 years in prison and is now a neo-nazi icon. Karlsson's teammates organized benefit games and protest marches after the verdict, but Peter Karlsson is still dead simply because someone hated him for who he was.

Mark Tewksbury gives Canada's Olympic hopefuls a rousing pep talk (1968— )
[Globe & Mail, November 18, 2011]

It is a time for team-building, said Canada's Olympic chef de mission, Mark Tewksbury, who delivered a keynote address to about 70 athletes from almost every summer Olympic sport, coaches, mission staff, team leaders, consultants, mental performance specialists, health science experts, 200 people in all.

In 1992, when Tewksbury won gold in the men's backstroke at the Barcelona Games, he didn't have all of this Olympic Excellence stuff, which is designed to help potential Olympic athletes reach their goals with mentoring from those who had gone before.

On Friday night, Tewksbury wanted to remind them and inspire them about why they are here for the next few days, and perhaps to even laugh a little bit at what he went through at the Seoul Games in 1988 and finally in what for him was a magical performance in Barcelona.

[Continued here]

• Interview with Openly Gay Olympic Champion Mark Tewksbury [After Elton, May 9, 2006]

In 1998, after years of tabloid rumors, Tewksbury surprised the world once again by publicly coming out as a gay athlete. Tewksbury saw a major contract slip away when a firm that had been on the verge of signing him to a six-figure speaking deal dropped him for being too flamboyant onstage--something Tewksbury maintains his audience neither especially noticed nor cared about.

His personal life, however, was coming together, and though he had more pitched battles to fight (including an ill-fated attempt to work with the organizers of the Gay Games) by the time Tewksbury sat down to write his new memoir, Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock, he had established himself in a happier place. It was from that place that Tewksbury kindly, and with much shared laughter, spoke recently with AfterElton.

Out: The Glenn Burke story (1952—1995) [XTRA, July 18, 2011]

Professional sports may be one of the final frontiers for gay people, but even before Harvey Milk was assassinated, there was an openly gay man in major league baseball. His name was Glenn Burke.

In 1982, Burke came out publicly, three years after his career ended because he rufused to hide his sexuality. He is the subject of a new documentary called Out: The Glenn Burke Story. It captures his life; sports career, coming out and tragic death at age 42 in 1995 from AIDS.

[Continued here]

• The Man Who Invented the High-Five [Out Sports, June 17, 2003]

It was late in the 1977 season. Dusty Baker of the Dodgers was rounding third, heading for home, having just hit his 30th home run. And the Dodgers were heading for a National League pennant. The on-deck hitter was Glenn Burke, enjoying his second season in the big leagues. As Baker crossed the plate Burke raised his hand. Baker responded by raising his. The two hands slapped together and a bit of history was made. The first high-five in baseball.

Fast forward to 1995. Baker is the successful manager of the San Francisco Giants. Burke is dead, the victim of AIDS.

He spent the last years of his life wandering the streets of San Francisco, especially Castro Street, the heart of the gay community. Yes, the onetime Dodger outfielder made another kind of baseball history in 1982, two years after his premature retirement from the game, when he became the first player to openly declare his homosexuality. So far there has not been a second, although former umpire Dave Pallone, also openly gay, says there are and have been more.

"He was a hero to us", said Jack McGowan, former sports editor of the San Francisco Sentinel, a gay newspaper. "He was ... real. He was athletic, clean cut, masculine. He was everything that we wanted to prove to the world that we could be."

At Home With Renée Richards (1934— ) [New York Times, February 1, 2007]

Before Dr. Renée Richards had a sex-change operation, when she was an up-and-coming eye doctor and one of the top-ranked amateur tennis players in the East, she could be, by her own estimation, an arrogant fellow, tough and demanding. Talking with her three decades later, one still has the uneasy sense, at times, of that impatient male surgeon trapped in her body trying to break out.

Not that Dr. Richards, 72 and still practicing, is ever anything but polite. She comes outside in the rain, in sneakers, warm-up pants and a red sweater, to greet her visitor, reining in her enthusiastic, 140-pound Bernese mountain dog. She's had her assistant, Arleen Larzelere, 60, prepare lunch. She provides a tour of her cozy three-bedroom cottage in the hamlet of Kent Cliffs, in Putnam County, an hour north of New York City: the faded chintz armchairs, the walk-in closet where a mink shares space with a golf bag that bears her name.

But as the conversation prompted by Dr. Richards's new memoir, "No Way Renée," runs to two hours, she grows restless. Dr. Richards is 6'2", with the rangy body of a lifelong athlete, and in maturity, her angular bone structure seems to be pushing its way to the fore. And as she wearies of the interview, her body language seems to become more traditionally male, suggesting an athlete who is wearying of the game. ...

"I don't like to have pictures of me as a guy in the dining room or living room," says Dr. Richards, who was once Dr. Richard Raskind. "I threw away most of the pictures of Dick. In fact, pictures of Dick with a beard, I destroyed." She leads the way to the bedroom, where there are photos of her as both a handsome young male Naval officer and a good-looking middle-aged woman. In one photo of herself, Renée stands with her father, who refused to acknowledge her sex change, even when she visited him in a skirt.

[Continued here]

• Michael Musto: Renée Richards: Transsexual Tennis Player's Sex Life [Village Voice, April 22, 2011]

Renée — the fascinating documentary by Eric Drath which is playing the Tribeca Film Festival -- recounts the story of Richard Raskin, who in his 40s, had sexual reassignment surgery and emerged as the world's most controversial tennis star, Renée Richards.

Renée's troubled son later called this an incredibly selfish act, seeing as he felt betrayed and abandoned.

But Renée became a lightning rod for the public's feelings toward transsexualism and helped move society forward on that topic, while enduring all kinds of jeering opposition.

In fact, she had to battle to play women's tennis, validated by a court that decreed she was indeed female and should be allowed to continue.

But in the movie, today's Renée, 76, takes a different tack.

Says she: "Transsexuals have every right to play, but maybe not on a professional level because it's not a level playing field."

In her 70s, she now stands for the reverse of what she represented in the '70s!

Matthew Mitcham: Out, proud and ready to go for gold [Sydney Morning Herald, May 24, 2008]

Matthew Mitcham is brave enough to dive from a 10-metre platform for Olympic gold and courageous enough to do what no Australian athlete has done.

When Mitcham balances on the Beijing diving tower this August, like all Australian Olympians, he will be hoping the ones he loves will be there to watch him.

The gold medal hopeful's journey has not been easy. Those close to him have seen Mitcham, 20, battle depression, retire in his teenage years after physical and emotional burn-out, then nine months later resume his sport and build himself into the champion he is today.

One person who has been by his side for the entire tumultuous journey is his partner, Lachlan.

[Continued here]

• Matthew Mitcham the 2008 Sports Performer of the Year [The Age, November 27, 2008]

Beijing Olympics diving gold medallist Matthew Mitcham has upstaged a star-studded field to win the 2008 Sports Performer of the Year award in Melbourne tonight.

• Sexiest Man Living 2008 [Salon, November 20, 2008]

Beijing Olympics diving gold medallist Matthew Mitcham has upstaged a star-studded field to win the 2008 Sports Performer of the Year award in Melbourne tonight.

• Matthew Mitcham says gay status cost him sponsorship [Telegraph, April 30, 2011]

The 21-year-old, who resumes his rivalry with Daley, 14 - who he admitted he was "a little bit scared of" - in the third leg of the World Series in Sheffield this weekend, came out in a newspaper interview in the build-up to Beijing, where he made history by receiving the highest mark for an individual dive at an Olympic Games.

• Delhi 2010: Mitcham has to settle for silver [Sydney Morning Herald, October 14, 2010]
• Matthew Mitcham [GQ Australia, November 27, 2010]

Olympic champions are the closest things we have to superheroes. They perform feats mere mortals simply cannot, employing a razor-sharp focus to tune out the sacrifices they've been forced to make, before standing alone on their pedestal to be idolised. After all, with great power comes great responsibility.

• Gay diver Matthew Mitcham urges footballers to be open about sexuality [Herald and Weekly Times, September 1, 2010]

• Mitcham takes out national championships [Sydney Star Observer, December 14, 2011]

The Gay Games ambassador won the national title on the last day of the event in Adelaide. The top two divers from the national titles qualify for the World Cup in London in February.

Mitcham had a two-week preparation time for the event, having spent much of the year recovering from an abdominal injury.

• Olympic champion happy to dive in at deep end for gay rights [Sydney Morning Herald, April 18, 2012]

''I certainly don't see it as a burden,'' Mitcham told the Herald yesterday after training in Sydney.

''I never did, especially with how much attention the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered] cause has been getting lately with marriage equality . and with how few openly gay sports stars there are around at the moment.

''I don't mind attention being put on it.

''Ideally I would like one day for sexuality to be as unimportant and uninteresting as hair colour, or eye colour or even just gender in general. One day it will get to that.

Gareth Thomas on being gay in sport and switching to rugby league
[The Guardian, May 4, 2010]

In his new home, a hotel halfway between Chester and Wrexham, Gareth Thomas walks up and down the same corridor every day. On his way to and from breakfast and dinner, Thomas is reminded constantly that he now lives in a hotel which specialises in hosting elaborate weddings. The walls leading from the foyer to the restaurant are covered in soft-focus photographs of beaming brides and grinning grooms, their smiles as big as their hairstyles.

It's almost as if, in their wedded bliss, the framed couples are watching Thomas trying to adjust to his strange new life as a divorced, gay rugby player who has just switched from union to league.

[Continued here]

• British Lions rugby legend Gareth Thomas: 'It's ended my marriage and nearly driven me to suicide. Now it's time to tell the world the truth - I'm gay' [Daily Mail, December 19, 2009]
• Gay rugby player Gareth Thomas 'prayed to be straight' [BBC, January 5, 2011]
• Gareth Thomas: The Pink List inspired me to shed my fear [The Independent, October 16, 2011, 2011]

The first time I saw the Pink List was about two years before I came out. I remember that Clare Balding was on it, and she was a big name in sports. To me that was a real "wow" moment: looking through the list and seeing people in different jobs and walks of life who had been able to be themselves and be successful. It was incredible. The list itself didn't prompt me to come out, because that was something I had to do when the time was right for me. But it was inspirational to see that these people who did not need to pretend could thrive in their chosen field. ...

People are afraid for all sorts of different reasons. For some, it's because of the countries they live in or the religion in their community. Acceptance is an impossible thing for them and they end up living a lie, not because they want to, but because they have to. In this country, therefore, it is important for prominent people to realise that being gay is not just about their personal life: if you're in the public eye, it's about sending a positive message. Unless successful people are ready to accept themselves, how will vulnerable young people learn to be accepting of who they are? How will we move on?

• Taboo-breaking Gareth Thomas surprises Wales rugby again by retiring [The Guardian, October 25, 2011]
• Gareth Thomas enters UK BigBrother house [Same Same, January 6, 2012]

Hysen stands tall in 'man's game' [BBC: Tim Frank's Blog, March 21, 2011]

Anton Hysen is the sprightly 20-year-old left-sided midfielder for Utsiktens BK, a team from the fourth tier of the Swedish league. He has gelled hair, a collection of piercings, and the names of his parents tattooed in large, cursive font along his forearms. He also - after a polite enquiry by the Swedish football magazine Offside - came out earlier in March.

[Continued here]

• Son of former Liverpool star Glenn Hysen becomes first high-profile Swedish footballer to reveal
that he's gay [Daily Mail, March 9, 2011]
• Anton Hysen states case for coming out and for his father's speech [The Observer, March 13, 2011]
• Tackling the ultimate taboo: It's time for a Premier League player to come out, says gay
Swedish footballer [Daily Mail, March 22, 2011]
• Anton Hysén: 'Anyone afraid of coming out should give me a call' [The Guardian, March 22, 2011]
• Soccer's last taboo: Why gay players stay in the closet [CNN, February 18, 2011]

John Amaechi [Wikipedia]

John Ekwugha Amaechi... is a retired American-born British NBA basketball player who currently works as a psychologist, educator and political activist in Europe and the United States.

In February 2007, after his retirement from the NBA, Amaechi became the first openly gay NBA player after coming out in his memoir Man in the Middle.

[Continued here]

• Amaechi becomes first NBA player to come out [ESPN, February 9, 2007]
• John Amaechi: sporting world must help gay athletes to come out [Telegraph, February 16, 2010]
• A Gay Former N.B.A. Player Responds to Kobe Bryant [New York Times, April 15, 2011]

This controversy is not a storm in a teacup turned into a vendetta by loony liberals, as many in the sports world seem to think. What our heroes say and do means something - and in an America where sports stars carry more influence and in some cases more credibility than senators, what they say matters more than ever.

• John Amaechi awarded OBE in Queen's honours list [Pink Paper, June 13, 2011]

Brendan Burke, 21; raised awareness by coming out as young, gay athlete (1988—2010)
[Boston Globe, February 8, 2010]

Mr. Burke's name was well known in hockey circles after he came out as a gay man. In an ESPN.com column written by John Buccigross last year, Mr. Burke described what it was like to be a young, gay athlete, struggling to come to terms with his sexuality in a culture in which homophobic slurs are common.

He returned each year to Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, his alma mater, to talk to students at the all-boys Catholic school about his saga, and how his father, the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the United States men's Olympic hockey team, was among his biggest supporters.

Mr. Burke, 21, a senior at Miami University in Ohio, died Friday in a car accident in Indiana. His friend Mark A. Reedy, 18, a first-year student at Michigan State University, also died in the crash, after the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Mr. Burke was driving spun out of control and into traffic on US Route 35. They were heading east in Wayne County, and the local sheriff's department said snowy and icy road conditions were factors in the accident.

[Continued here]

• Leafs 'saddened' by loss of Brian Burke's son [Toronto Star, February 5, 2010]

The father-son relationship made headlines throughout Canada and the North American sporting culture in November when Brian Burke revealed to the media that his son was gay.

The younger Burke told The Star at the time he was overwhelmed with the positive feedback he'd received from the public, heralding the support from his father and hockey's sometime homophobic culture.

"The reaction from the press and fans and everyone has been overwhelmingly positive," Brendan Burke told thestar.com.

Brendan Burke was a student manager of the Miami (Ohio) University hockey team, and had come out to his team and his father more than two years ago. It became big news because of Brian Burke's position once a reporter - a friend to the Burkes - said he was going to write about it.

Brent Sopel takes Stanley Cup to Chicago's Pride Parade [NBC Sports, June 27, 2010]

Generally when the Stanley Cup makes it's annual tour around the world each summer, it's not uncommon for it to be featured in a parade in a player's hometown. It's not every day that a member of a championship winning squad can do something to help reach out to a community in a different way however.

That's what makes now former Blackhawks defenseman Brent Sopel's gesture today so special as he escorted the Stanley Cup in today's Gay Pride parade in Chicago to honor Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke's son, Brendan. Brendan Burke was killed in a car accident in February, just three months after coming out to his friends and fellow Miami University hockey team members. Sopel was only more than happy to dedicate this gesture to the Burke family.

[Continued here]

Patrick Chan (1990— ) [Wikipedia]

Patrick Chan... is a Canadian figure skater.

He is the 2011 World Champion, 2010-2011 Grand Prix Final champion, the 2009 Four Continents champion, the 2009 and 2010 World silver medalist, the 2007 World Junior silver medalist and a four-time (2008-2011) Canadian Champion.

At the 2010 Canadian Championships, he was nominated to represent Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He placed 5th in the men's event.

On April 27, 2011, Chan set a new world record of 93.02 points for the short program. Chan then set a new world record for his free skate, receiving an overall score of 280.98. Chan was crowned World Champion in Moscow on April 28, 2011.

[Continued here]

• Patrick Chan skates to victory at Grand Prix final [Globe & Mail, December 10, 2011]

• Athlete of the Year: Patrick Chan [CBC, December 22, 2011]

"It's a great honour for me to win the CBC Sports athlete of the year for 2011. It's been an amazing 2011 season with a world championship, three world records and a repeat at the Grand Prix Final," he told CBC Sports.

"It's been quite a year and thank you very much for nominating me and I hope to have many more. And I hope you guys will keep enjoying what I'm doing."

• Patrick Chan named Canada's male athlete of the year [Globe & Mail, December 28, 2011]

A few words from the mouth of a rival may have defined Patrick Chan's magnificent season.

Daisuke Takahashi was asked after the short program at the world figure skating championships what it would take to catch the young Canadian, who had assembled a nearly insurmountable lead over his Japanese opponent.

"A miracle," Takahashi said simply.

Chan went on to capture his first world title in spectacular fashion, setting three world scoring records in the process in one of the most dominant victories ever in men's figure skating.

[Note: Canada's racist media need to get off of Patrick's back concerning his recent comments. If he weren't Asian, they wouldn't be bullying and harassing him. As well, Elvis Stojko needs to keep his mouth shut. Indeed, the racism and homophobia that riddles Skate Canada needs to be addressed and addressed soon.]

Brian Orser (1961— ) [Wikipedia]

Brian Ernest Orser, OC... is a Canadian retired competitive and professional figure skater. He is the 1984 and 1988 Olympic silver medalist, 1987 World champion and the 1981-1988 Canadian national champion.

He is one of the most accomplished skaters in Canada's history, with eight national titles, two Olympic medals, and a world title to his credit. He is the skating director at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club. ...

In November 1998, Orser lost a legal battle to prevent public disclosure when ex-boyfriend Craig Leask sued him for palimony. Orser initially feared the revelation of his homosexuality would ruin his career, but he has since embraced support from other skaters and the public.

[Continued here]

• Olympics Victory for a Great Gay Coach [Bilerico Project, February 27, 2010]

Outed in 1998 by a partner lawsuit, Orser has since embraced his orientation openly, becoming (among other things) an ambassador for the Outgames. Being out hasn't hurt his recent sports career either -- he remains one of the most accomplished figure-skating figures to come out of Canada, with Hall of Fame memberships added to his eight national men's titles, world title and two Olympic silver medals.

• Being Brian Orser: Figure-skating coach gears up for another huge public challenge [XTRA, January 19, 2012]

For figure skater-turned-coach Brian Orser, this weekend's Canadian Figure Skating Championship is a biggie.

To an outsider, it's unclear why. It's not an Olympic year and the host venue, Moncton Coliseum, has a capacity of 6,500 - not quite the makings of a show for the history books.

But figure-skating fans are anticipating the performance of Cynthia Phaneuf, who recently signed with Orser. The reigning ladies' national champion arrived at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club, where Orser coaches, in November, leaving her long-time Quebec training base and coaches after a dismal international season.

Jeffrey Buttle (1982— ) [Wikipedia]

Jeffrey Buttle... is a Canadian figure skater. He is the 2006 Winter Olympics bronze medalist, the 2008 World champion, the 2002 and 2004 Four Continents champion and the 2005-2007 Canadian champion. On March 22, 2008, Buttle became the first Canadian man since Elvis Stojko in 1997 to win the World Title. He announced his retirement from competitive skating on September 10, 2008. ...

Buttle was assigned to the 2008 Skate Canada and 2008 Cup of China for the 2008-2009 season. However, he announced his retirement from competitive skating on September 10, 2008, saying that he had achieved his goals in skating, and competing was no longer in his heart. Skate Canada published a Jeffrey Buttle Tribute Book on December 15, 2008. A second book about Buttle, Jeffrey Buttle Artist Book chapter TWO, was published in 2009 in Japan.

[Continued here]

• Weekend hot jock: Skater Jeffrey Buttle [Out Sports, May 2, 2009]

Interestingly, just as Skate Canada began their crackdown to make figure skating more masculine, Buttle retired from competitive skating: An odd move and odd timing given the Winter Olympics are in Canada in a year.

Blog Comments:

He "dated" Joannie Rochette for 4 years, did a magazine spread with her like they were newly weds. Used to take her to the Skate Canada annual dinners, arm and arm. When all his team mates from Mariposa SC, ran to raise money for the LGBT Youth Suicide line, Jeffrey Buttle left town. He was the only one not to show.

I hope you are not looking for a role model. He also went on a fund drive for World Vision Christian Ministries in South America last August. WV is one of 12 members of the WEA (World Evangelical Association). WV refuses to hire homosexuals because they are against the Evangelical faith and Jeff Buttle helped them raise money.

Charles Barkley On Gay NBA Players: 'Every Player Has Played With Gay Guys'
[Huffington Post, May 18, 2011]

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley was asked on Monday about Phoenix Suns President Rick Welts revealing to the public that he is gay over the weekend. Barkley told Mike Wise of the Washington Post that he is certain he played with gay teammates "on two of three teams" he was on.

The TNT analyst said that it never bothered him and he is fed up with hearing about how guys can't come out in team sports.

"First of all, every player has played with gay guys," Barkley said. "It bothers me when I hear these reporters and jocks get on TV and say: 'Oh, no guy can come out in a team sport. These guys would go crazy.' First of all, quit telling me what I think. I'd rather have a gay guy who can play than a straight guy who can't play."

Barkley went on to say that he believes every professional athlete has had a gay teammate.

"Any professional athlete who gets on TV or radio and says he never played with a gay guy is a stone-freakin' idiot," he said. "I would even say the same thing in college. Every college player, every pro player in any sport has probably played with a gay person."

[Continued here]

• Mike Wise: Charles Barkley: In sports, ability to play should outweigh sexual orientation [Washington Post, May 17, 2011]

Sandy Koufax: A Nasty Curve (1935— ) [Flak, December 19, 2002]

Which Hall of Fame baseball hero cooperated with a best-selling biography because the author promised to keep it secret that he is gay? The author kept her word but big mouths at the publishing house can't keep from flapping. — New York Post, Dec. 19, 2002

If the item above has taught us anything, it's that Page Six readers aren't particularly serious sports fans. The gossip tidbit - a scarcely veiled reference to Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax and Jane Leavy, author of the best-selling "Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy" - didn't result in public controversy until late February. We have also learned, once again, that "gay" is the worst thing a male American athlete can be called.

[Continued here]

• Sandy Koufax: Outing gets another inning [The Phoenix, February 27. 2003]
• Journalists Strike Out on the Sandy Koufax Story [Out Sports, February 24. 2003]

Judging by the reaction to a gossip item about Sandy Koufax, one would have thought the New York Post had accused him of helping Saddam Hussein build weapons of mass destruction. Or of having become a San Francisco Giants fan.

The Post's actual crime? Insinuating Koufax was gay. The reaction of many in the media shows that this charge is still considered heinous and shameful in the sports world.

Will Sheridan: 'I'm proud of who I am' [ESPN, May 16, 2011]

They were sitting in their dorm room late at night talking, not necessarily about anything deep or meaningful. Just talking, as people do at the end of the day.

They were Villanova freshmen, two guys tossed together by the fate of their college who would grow so close that even now, eight years later, they remain as tight as brothers.

And so that night as they talked casually, their friendship already on solid footing, Will Sheridan told Mike Nardi something he had only told a few people.

"I just said, 'I need to tell you something . I'm gay,'" Sheridan said.

[Continued here]

• Interview with Will Sheridan: Coming Out in Basketball and Hip Hop [After Elton, June 22, 2011 ]

Mike Piazza Weds Alicia Rickter, Still a Homo (1968— ) [Glossy News, February 1, 2005]

Mike Piazza, the New York Mets' All-Star catcher, is no longer a free agent. The Mets slugger married former Playboy Playmate and Baywatch actress Alicia Rickter Saturday in Miami, where Piazza owns a condo. But why the sudden nuptials? Insiders say that Piazza is sick and tired of being accused of being gay, and figures that this abrupt course of action will stifle arguments in support of that accusation.

"That boy is soooo gay," said Cam Hokum, owner of New York City nightclub The Closet. "Mike comes in here two, three times a week and hooks up with one of our other customers. After a few dozen drinks and some VERY hot grinding on the dance floor, they leave together. He always tells them he wants to show them his batting cage. Ooooooooh! God, he makes me wet!"

In 2002, prior to a game a Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Piazza held a news conference to proclaim his heterosexuality.

[Continued here]

• Good riddance, Mike Piazza [ESPN, May 27, 2008]

Gay Brazilian Athlete Harassed by Crowd but Supported by Team [Harvard Civil Rights-
Civil Liberties Law Review, April 17, 2011]

Michael Santos, a middle blocker from Team Vôlei Futuro [Volleyball] in Brazil, was subjected to waves of verbal slurs during a recent match. As he served, the crowd chanted... "Bicha! Bicha! Bicha!" which means "faggot" in English. As a result, Santos publicly came out and acknowledged his sexuality.

But the story doesn't end there. His team rallied behind him, and a week later the team wore pink warmup shirts to show support for their teammate, and the team's libero wore a rainbow jersey during the match.

[Continued here]

• Brazil Athlete Comes Out After Homophobic Slurs [Edge Boston, May 8, 2011]

Turkey's first openly gay referee adamant to continue battle [Hurriyet Daily News,
March 2, 2011]

Turkey's first openly gay referee says he will not stop his legal battle against the national football's governing body for blocking him from his profession as a match official.

Former football referee Halil Ibrahim Dinçdag first became known to the public in 2008, when it emerged that the Turkish Football Federation, or the TFF, stripped him of his rights to officiate matches.

Dinçdag was then forced to leave his job because he had been excused from his compulsory military service on account of his homosexuality, which was documented in a medical report. According to the sport's regulations, anyone who fails to complete his military service for health reasons is unfit to perform as a referee.

The 35-year-old filed a criminal complaint against the Turkish Football Federation and sought compensations up to 110,000 Turkish liras for damages.

[Continued here]

Steven Davies's brave revelation is a groundbreaking moment for sport
[The Guardian, February 28, 2011]

There has never been a better time for an England cricketer to pronounce himself a gay man. That is not to make light of Steven Davies's courage. For him to come out with most of his cricketing career ahead of him remains a groundbreaking moment. Here is a statement that professional team sport in Britain has matured, and if it has not, well it will just have to get on with it.

[Continued here]

• Steven Davies: the smallest club in sport [Telegraph, February 28,2011]
• Steven Davies praises Ashes teammates after coming out [The Guardian, February 28,2011]

Can the NFL accept gay players? [ESPN, April 26, 2011]

The setup is deceptively simple, as linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo sits in a cavernous room, wearing his purple Baltimore Ravens jersey. With a golden spotlight on his face, he delivers a few short but powerful lines, captured by a single close-up camera.

"Gay and lesbian couples want to marry for similar reasons as we all do: love and commitment," Ayanbadejo said. "It's time to allow them the opportunity to build a family though marriage. It's a matter of fairness."

With that video to support a marriage equity proposition in Maryland, Ayanbadejo touched the third rail in a sport that markets masculinity -- the National Football League. Sports message boards erupted with questions about Ayanbadejo's sexuality, and lashed insults at the linebacker.

"It's not anything I'm afraid of," Ayanbadejo said. "If I have to put a cause on my back, I'm happy to do that."

[Continued here]

• Brendon Ayanbadejo, Ravens Linebacker, Speaks In Favor Of Gay Marriage [Huffington Post, March 9, 2011]

Kelly: [Sean] Avery backing gay marriage seems only natural [Toronto Star, May 9, 2011]

When social historians chart the final breakthroughs of the gay rights movement into the most resistant corners of mainstream culture, this will be one of them.

An athlete playing in one of the four major team sports not only endorsing a person's right to live however they wish, but making a political stand on the issue.

By celebrity standards, New York Ranger Sean Avery has been a steady advocate for gay causes. By professional sports standards, he's standing on a soapbox with a bullhorn and waving his arms.

Now Avery, a 31-year-old native of Pickering, has pushed the issue further by recording a video message for the New Yorkers for Marriage Equality campaign.

"I treat everyone the way I expect to be treated, and that applies to marriage," Avery says. "Committed couples should be able to marry the person they love. Join me in supporting marriage equality."

[Continued here]

• Avery would support a gay player [Toronto Sun, February 3, 2011]

"If there's a kid in Canada or wherever, who is playing and really loves the game and wants to keep playing but he's worried about coming out, I'd tell him to pick up the phone and call (NHLPA executive director) Donald Fehr and tell him to book me a (plane) ticket.

"I'll stand beside him in the dressing room while he tells his teammates he is gay. Maybe if Sean Avery is there, they would have less of a problem with it."

• Brian Burke wants action on alleged slur [ESPN, September 27, 2011]

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke has yet to see the video himself, but said if the allegations are true -- that the Philadelphia Flyers' Wayne Simmonds called Rangers forward Sean Avery a homophobic slur -- then the league needs to take immediate action.

"That type of comment has no place in the game," Burke told ESPNNewYork.com when reached by telephone Tuesday morning.

• NHL Levies No Punishment For Player's Homophobic Epithet [Think Progress, September 28, 2011]

The NHL has decided not to punish Philadelphia Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds for calling New York Rangers winger Sean Avery, who has a long history of activism on behalf of LGBT causes, a "f*cking faggot" on the ice Monday night. Despite fairly clear video evidence to the contrary, the league claimed it had "been unable to substantiate with the necessary degree of certainty what was said and by whom." Earlier this year, the NBA fined Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant $100,000 for using the exact same language against a referee.

Steve Nash supports NY marriage bill [ESPN, May 23, 2011]

In the wake of Phoenix Suns president and CEO Rick Welts' revelation that he is gay, Suns point guard Steve Nash has made a video in support of New York's marriage equality proposition.

"Hi I'm Steve Nash," he says in the video, produced by the Human Rights Campaign, a national organization leading the effort to legalize same-sex marriage in New York. "I spend my summers in New York and I love playing at the Garden. A growing number of professional athletes are speaking out in support of gay and lesbian couples getting married, I'm proud to be one of them. Join me and the supermajority of New Yorkers who support marriage equality."

Nash had been considering appearing in the video for months. According to HRC vice president of communications Fred Sainz, the NBA star ultimately timed the release to support Welts and New York Rangers forward Sean Avery, who experienced a backlash among hockey fans after making a similar video. NHL player agent Todd Reynolds called Avery's support for the issue "misguided." Many anonymous commenters on message boards harshly criticized Avery for his support of the proposition, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo has advanced. Cuomo is hoping for a vote by legislators in June. ...

No current player in the NHL, NFL, MLB or NBA is openly gay, although several have come out after retiring from sports. After Welts said he is gay, NBA commentator Charles Barkley said that he had played with gay teammates and had no problem with it. He even addressed the issue of locker room homophobia, telling The Washington Post that he thought outsiders were making assumptions about what players thought.

"I'd rather have a gay guy who can play than a straight guy who can't play," Barkley said.

[Continued here]

• Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash joins same-sex marriage equality campaign [Examiner, May 23, 2011]

Nash, who owns property in New York and spends his summers there, has also publicly supported Phoenix Suns general manager Rick Welts, who came out last week and has sparked public discussion about acceptance -- and lack thereof -- of homosexuality in professional sports.

Akil Patterson's career with the Terps football team was derailed by alcohol and
partying as he struggled with his sexuality [Blatimore Sun, July 9, 2011]

For years, Akil Patterson wouldn't tell the world who he really was: a gay man playing Division I college football.

His secret weighed on him, frightened him, confused him, taking on a life all its own.

In lonely periods, the former University of Maryland player would go online and type in "gay," "athlete" and other keywords. And Patterson, an offensive and defensive lineman on former coach Ralph Friedgen's teams of 2001-03, would wonder: how many other Division I athletes are gay - and black - and feeling as isolated as he was?

"It's not like it's a terrible, deep, dark secret, but you think about the ramifications," said Patterson, now a highly ranked Greco-Roman wrestler and unpaid Maryland wrestling coach. "They're talking behind your back, and everywhere you turn there's this culture that says you're not supposed to be like this."

Patterson, who said he was a binge drinker during his Maryland football years, is one of a half-dozen or so football players to have publicly declared after college or NFL careers that they are gay.

[Continued here]

• Gay wrestler leaves football and finds his sports niche [Out Sports, October 20, 2010]

Suns exec Rick Welts announces he's gay [Globe & Mail, May 15, 2011]

Last month, in a Midtown office adorned with sports memorabilia, two longtime friends met for a private talk. David Stern, commissioner of the National Basketball Association, sipped his morning coffee, expecting to be asked for career advice. Across from him sat Rick Welts, president and chief executive of the Phoenix Suns, who had come to New York to say, finally, I am gay.

[Continued here]

• A Sports Executive Leaves the Safety of His Shadow Life [New York Times, May 15, 2011]
• Rick Welts Says He's Had Plenty Of Job Offers Since Coming Out Gay [On Top, September 11, 2011]
• Cyd Zeigler: Rick Welts' Hiring May Be the Biggest Gay Sports Story of the Year [Huffington Post, October 14, 2011]

1050's Jared Max reveals he's gay [ESPN, May 19, 2011]

Jared Max, a host at ESPN New York 1050 radio, surprised listeners by revealing his sexual orientation on the air Thursday morning.

"Are we ready to have our sports information delivered by someone who's gay? Well, you know what, we are gonna find out," Max said. "Because for the last 16 years I've been living a free life among my close friends and family, and I've hidden behind what is a gargantuan-size secret here in the sports world. I am gay."

[Continued here]

Michael Irvin talks about his gay brother [USA Today, July 12, 2011]

Michael Irvin is on the cover of Out, for an interview in which he discusses his gay brother Vaughn for the first time.

Irvin tells Out that he was appalled as a youngster when he learned his older brother was a gay cross-dresser. But the ESPN commentator and NFL Hall of Famer says he has since accepted Vaughn and now is an advocate of gay rights.

[Continued here]

• Michael Irvin: The Playmaker Preaches [OUT, July, 2011]

It was a Friday evening in Fort Lauderdale, warm and clear, like so many that 12-year-old Michael Irvin had experienced growing up in southern Florida. He was riding in a car with his father, Walter, a roofer by trade who spent what little spare time he had operating as the local Primitive Baptist minister. The two were heading home after an errand that was a regular payday ritual: Walter would drive into town to buy cigars and then drop off money with Michael's grandmother to help with her bills. It was the late 1970s, a time of strife in America, and young Michael had already seen a lot in his low-income neighborhood. But nothing prepared him for what happened next.

As Walter drove up Northwest 27th Avenue, about to turn onto 16th Street, his son noticed a man who looked just like his older brother, Vaughn, walking away from their house toward "all the craziness in the 'hood," Irvin remembers. It couldn't be Vaughn: "This man was wearing women's clothes." But it was. "My brother had a very distinctive walk," he says.

Irvin couldn't believe his eyes. He turned to his father. "My dad looked back at me and said, 'Yes, that's your brother. And you love your brother.' "

That was it. Irvin, who went on to become one of football's greatest players, as well as the epitome of the troublemaking macho NFL stereotype, would never again discuss the issue with his father. "Whether Vaughn and my father later spoke about it, I don't know. But it wasn't something that was ever discussed among the family," says Irvin, speaking for the first time about the gay older brother he idolized.

Ben Cohen: "As athletes, it is not enough just to have strong bodies. We must have
strong characters and use our voices to support those who need and deserve it."



He is a gay icon but Cohen the Barbarian seeks wider appeal [The Guardian,
December 1, 2007]

At least Ben Cohen has not been forgotten. Apparently there were more than 46,000 hits on his website last month following the release of the exiled England wing's new beefcake calendar and he has bowed further to popular demand by doing a photo-shoot for Gay Times. A large chunk of his fan-base clearly cares little what he does on Saturdays as long as he is bare-chested in glossy colour every month.

The positive attention makes a change. Cohen does not enjoy the uncritical adoration of everyone within the macho world of English rugby but admirers of his physique are unfazed by the summer fall-out at Northampton which caused him to leave the club he joined as a 16-year-old. Nor, on a recent promotional visit to Prowler, a specialist gay outlet in Soho, did anyone query his decision to reject England's call in the build-up to the World Cup. Or ask whether flogging topless calendars for his testimonial year is not a slight come-down for a 29-year-old World Cup winner who should still have plenty to give his chosen sport.

[Continued here]

• Ben Cohen American Acceptance Tour Details [Compete Network, April 19, 2011]
• Two straight jocks combat homophobia [Globe & Mail, May. 13, 2011]

Ben Cohen is a world-class English rugby star, and Hudson Taylor is a three-time college all-American wrestler. They live on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean. They barely know each other.

But they have something quite unusual in common. They may be the only two high-profile heterosexual athletes dedicating their lives to the issues of bullying and homophobia in sports.

• Cohen retires to tackle bullying and homophobia [The Independent, May. 16, 2011]
• David Mixner: Five Questions For Hudson Taylor [davidmixner.com, May. 26, 2011]

Anyway you examine Hudson Taylor, he is special. He is a direct descendent of his name sake the famous missionary to China - Hudson Taylor. When visiting with this charismatic and principled young man you can sense the spirituality in every aspect of his life. Taylor is intelligent, engaging and has a deep personal devotion to helping others.

• Ben Cohen: Athlete, Advocate, Gentleman [Edge Boston, May. 30, 2011]
• Ben Cohen says father's murder spurred him to speak out on bullying [Pink News, July 4, 2011]
• the Ben Cohen Standup Foundation [standupfoundation.com, August 2011]
• Hudson Taylor Wants To Make It Better [The Advocate, August 27, 2011]

Dutch Gymnast Jeffrey Wammes Strips Down, Comes Out [Rod Online, April 27, 2011]

Dutch gymnastics hotness Jeffrey Wammes (second from left) is one of seven shirtless jocks to cover L'HOMO, a special edition of Linda Magazine. This is the third time the gay glossy has been published and this edition focuses on gays in sport.

The 24-year-old Wammes is one of two athletes featured that is actually gay, reports Radio Netherlands.

        For gymnast Jeffrey Wammes, the special edition was a perfect opportunity to come out. "There was already a lot of speculation about whether or not I fell for boys or girls. To me it has nothing to do with sport or how I perform. But when I was asked to do this, I made it clear straight away how things were and that's that."

[Continued here]

Mike Verschuur [Wikipedia]

Mike Verschuur... is a Dutch racing driver. He won the Eurocup Mégane Trophy series in 2009 and the Renault Clio Cup Netherlands in 2006. He has also competed in other such series as Porsche Supercup.

He is openly gay.

[Continued here]

• Dutch Gay Sportsmen Come Out [Mamba Online, April 27, 2011]

Verschuur (23) — who has previously come out — added: "Many fellow drivers — not mentioning any names — told me they were gay too," he said. "But they dare not say so in public which is a real pity. Because there is nothing to fear. On the contrary, it has only made me stronger. It's made me a better driver."

Unapologetically Gay Michigan Rowing Coach Promotes Inclusive Athletic Environments
[Think Progress, September 6, 2011]

Recently, some prominent athletes like German soccer captain Philipp Lahm and cyclist Graeme Obree have discouraged gay athletes from coming out for safety and morale reasons. But this week, the Associate Head Coach of the University of Michigan's men's rowing team offers a thoughtful reply on the importance of being out and authentic as an athlete. Charley Sullivan speaks from his own experience as an out coach and the environment he is able to cultivate for his athletes:

        I firmly believe that athletes can only perform at their best when they are able to be themselves. Putting on acts - of pretending to be someone you're not, of always being brave and never afraid, of not being devastated when your grandfather dies - simply takes too much energy. And acts have a reliable way of cracking under pressure. Teams that take the "military" approach to building team unity - the we-will-dress-alike-in-practice and we-will-all-have-the-same-basic-haircut and we-will-all-believe-in-the-same-God approach - are often basing their hopes for success on a set of external appearances that may or may not actually reflect what's going on inside the team. The ties that a team needs when the going gets tough must be built of "realer" stuff than everyone having the same slogan on a T-shirt. It's got to be about things like the desire for the group to succeed as a group, about mutual trust built through daily striving, and about a feeling of truly belonging to the team, no matter what.

[Continued here]

Gus Johnston: 'A silence so loud it screams' [Sydney Morning Herald, October 23, 2011]

Gus Johnston was a champion hockey goalkeeper. A gutsy player who regularly put his body on the line for his team, Johnston represented Victoria for 12 years. While his striking red hair and natural ability made him a big identity in his sport, he was little known outside hockey circles. Until last month, that is, when he posted an emotional video on YouTube in which he outed himself as gay.

In the 12-minute film, which he called The Reality of Homophobia in Sport, Johnston looks the viewer in the eye as he says: "I'm a writer, art director, filmmaker and a hockey goalkeeper. I'm also a gay man — and that's something I never thought I would say in such a public forum."

[Continued here]

• Hockey player shows courage [Hockey Victoria, September 26, 2011]

My personal respect for Gus was elevated even further on Monday of this week when he contacted me to notify me that he had produced a video to highlight his personal challenges and experiences in relation to his sexuality and that he would like me to watch the video. I am very grateful for the opportunity that Gus provided me because the video that I watched was extraordinarily powerful and thought provoking. In the video, Gus declares that he is a gay man and courageously he relates his personal journey in reaching this declaration.

World champ axeman [David Foster] backs gay marriage [Sydney Morning Herald,
September 9, 2011]

World champion axeman David Foster may not be a likely poster boy for gay rights.

However, these days the prominent North-West Tasmanian is just as happy to be championing same-sex marriage as he is woodchopping.

The reason? His daughter Sally, her partner Lily and their daughter Wren, who soon turns one.

The Examiner reports that Foster will speak on Tuesday in support of same-sex marriage at a forum in Hobart - something he admits would not have happened before Sally sat down with him and his wife Jan four years ago.

"I think she (Sally) didn't want to (come out) earlier, because I was a bit anti-that and maybe she didn't want to upset me," he said.

"She sat my wife and I down and said `I want to tell you something' and that's how we spoke as a family."

[Continued here]

San Francisco Giants Make Pro Sports History with First "It Gets Better" Video
[Joe Mirabella: Huffington Post, June 1, 2011]

Today, the San Francisco Giants became the first team in professional sports to produce an "It Gets Better" video taking a stand against anti-gay bullying and homophobia, supported by more than 6,000 fans via a Change.org petition.

[Continued here]

• SF Giants release 'It Gets Better' video for LGBT teens [San Francisco Examiner, June 1, 2011]
• Chicago Cubs to produce "It Gets Better" video [Chicago Cubs, June 3, 2011]
• Joe Mirabella: Thousands of Fans Ask Red Sox to Make an "It Gets Better" Video [Huffington Post, June 1, 2011]

Sam Maden is 12 years old. He loves the Boston Red Sox. And he believes in equality, inspired by his Uncle Chris, who died unexpectedly in January at the age of 43.

So when Sam's teacher recently asked him to come up with a project that could "make a difference" in the world, Sam had an idea to merge his love for the Red Sox with a cause his uncle believed in passionately: ending the bullying of gay kids and kids perceived to be gay.

Inspired by news that the San Francisco Giants had responded to a fan's petition on Change.org by announcing they would become the first pro sports team to create an "It Gets Better" anti-bullying video, Sam came up with an idea to ask his favorite team on the planet -- the Red Sox -- to step up to the plate.

• Red Sox Announce "It Gets Better" Video Against Anti-Gay Bullying, Joining Giants and Cubs [Change.org, June 4, 2011]
• The Philadelphia Phillies Will Make an 'It Gets Better' Video [Philly Now, July 21, 2011]
• Dodgers Tell Teens It Gets Better [The Advocate, September 27, 2011]

Will Tim Tebow Get 'Better'? [Edge Boston, December 18, 2011]

The Boston Red Sox have done it. So have the Chicago Cubs. But no NFL team has yet done a "It's Get Better" video.

Will Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos be the first?

USA Today reported this week that more than 3,000 supporters have signed a petition for God's favorite quarterback to join the "It Gets Better" campaign in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens.

[Continued here]

• Tebow and Broncos will not get 'Better' soon [Edge Boston, December 22, 2011]

In a response to the nearly 8,000 individuals that have signed on a Change.org petition for the Broncos and Tebow to become the first NFL team to create a video for the It Gets Better campaign, Bronco spokesperson Patrick Smyth "gave no indication that the team would be participating anytime soon," according to the Huffington Post.

"The Denver Broncos are committed to tolerance, acceptance and respect for all in the community," said Smyth. "The National Football League is currently working with USA Network on its 'Characters Unite' campaign combating prejudice and intolerance, and our organization is in full support of that movement to help raise awareness for this very important cause."

"Smyth declined to provide a specific comment on It Gets Better," the Huffington Post report continued.

Andy Szekeres, the Bronco's fan that organized the petition, said: "I commend the Broncos and all of the NFL for their work on a Characters Unite program to stand up against prejudice and intolerance but that is not enough or the same as standing in support of the It Gets Better Project."

• Denver Broncos, Tim Tebow Take Vow Of Silence Over LGBT Support [Queerty, December 24, 2011]

Believe it or not, today's Douche of the Week is a bunch of muscled jocks who wear tight pants that show off their gorgeous physique. No, we're not talking about the chorus boys in Anything Goes: it's the Denver Broncos-and quarterback Tim Tebow in particular. ...

To date, Tebow hasn't allowed his publicist to make any specific comments on his stance on same-sex marriage or gay rights in general. Not even saying that nobody should be persecuted or harassed for their sexuality. Even anti-gay GOP bigwigs can manage to spit that out.

All together now: What a pack of douches!

• Stu Kreisman: The Problem With Tim Tebow [Huffington Post, January 15, 2012]

Now if you're like me, you don't want to be bothered with politics and religion while watching football. Unfortunately that barrier has been shattered forever thanks to Tim Tebow. ...

Now don't get me wrong. I'm sure that Tim Tebow is a nice guy. However when you make the decision to wear your religion on your sleeve, you are pushing your beliefs on people who do not want to hear or see them, especially during an NFL playoff game. I don't begrudge anyone their own personal beliefs. When you push them and use your position as an NFL player as a platform to foist them on the public, that's out of bounds. Tebow also energizes the evangelicals who see him as a vessel to push their political agenda. (Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann have already co-opted the Tebow mystique.)

Thanks to CBS and Tebow's followers, we are headed down a slippery slope. Would it be too much to ask that sports be declared a no-religion zone? Could we have at least three hours of relaxation during a game instead of interrupting it with evangelical in-your-face messaging? Apparently CBS and the NFL agree that progressive and left wing messages have no place in sports. It would be nice if they treated the right wing the same.

• 'Tebowing' may have led to teens being beaten after South Carolina high school game: report [New York Daily News, January 16, 2012]

Former Miami Heat Player New Champion of Gay Rights [Edge Boston, August 31, 2011]

Tim Hardaway changes his tune after making homophobic remarks in 2007.

"I hate gay people," Tim Hardaway, 44, once told a Miami radio show. He went on to admit, "I don't like to be around gay people. I'm homophobic. It shouldn't be in the world for that or in the United States for it. So yeah, I don't like it."

But that was in 2007. Four years later he's now come out in support of LGBT equality.

"My family and friends came to me and were like, 'What are you doing?'" he recently told ABC-7 in El Paso, TX, explaining his change of heart. "I talked to them and they made me understand that [homophobia] wasn't right."

[Continued here]

• Retired NBA star Hardaway says he hates 'gay people' [ESPN, February 16, 2007]

"You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known," Hardaway said. "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."

New rugby star [Jed Hooper] comes out [Sydney Star Observer, November 3, 2011]

Gareth Thomas may have retired from professional rugby last week, but it didn't take long for a 22-year-old Welsh player to follow in his groundbreaking footsteps.

Rugby captain for the Wales' Old Redcliffians, Jed Hooper, came out to family and friends earlier this year and spoke to the Bristol Evening Post in the hope that his story can help other young rugby players come to terms with their sexuality.

"I met someone earlier this year who said he could not be with someone who was in the closet. That, basically, was the catalyst that I needed," Hooper said.

"Before that, I think I had already told about ten friends and their reaction was very positive so that gave me an inkling of what might happen.

[Continued here]

"It's like carrying around a secret, you know, and carrying around
luggage and just never being allowed to be yourself."



David Testo, American pro soccer player, comes out as gay, regrets
not doing it earlier [Out Sports, November 10, 2011]

David Testo, former MLS player with the Columbus Crew, has told the CBC that he is gay. He is the first former MLS player to do so. And his former Canadian team, the Montreal Impact, say they knew he was gay when they signed him. Part of Testo's interview, translated from a French report:

        I'm gay, I'm gay. I did not choose. It's just part of who I am. And it has nothing to do with the talent of a soccer player. You can be both an excellent soccer player and being gay. .

        I really regret not having said publicly earlier. I fought with it all my life, my whole career. Living the life of a professional athlete and being gay is incredibly difficult. It is like wearing a secret in his bags but never yourself. It saps all your energy to you, in addition to having to perform, having to play.

[Continued here]

• David Testo says he is gay [ESPN, November 10, 2011]
• David Testo's coming-out decision gets strong support [Los Angeles Times, December 3, 2011]

But the testosterone-driven, alpha-male world of sports hasn't always been understanding when it comes to race, gender or sexual orientation. Which may explain why Testo is the first active male athlete in a major U.S.-based professional league to come out.

And international soccer isn't much more accepting. ...

Testo grew up in North Carolina and went to school in South Carolina, the buckle of the Bible Belt. And though he came out to his mother four years ago, he says he still wonders "if my whole family accepts it." ...

Although club officials say they have known Testo was gay for years and were supportive of last month's decision, four weeks earlier they had released him - along with the rest of the roster - in preparation for the Impact's accession into MLS.

Testo has an interview with the Impact on Monday and would like to stay in Montreal. But Bean worries that Testo's outspokenness may give the team - and other professional soccer clubs - reason not to sign him.

"No one's going to come out and say it," says Bean. "They can come up with a million reasons."

David Pocock: Out of Africa with a heart of gold [Sydney Morning Herald, November 27, 2011]

NEXT Saturday, as day two of the Labor Party's national conference winds up, David Pocock will be a world away, preparing to play for the Wallabies in a Test match in Wales. But the distance won't diminish his interest in the party's resolution on same-sex marriage.

It's an unusual area of concern for a rugby player. But it taps into Pocock's sense of social justice, a world view built on the southern African concept of Ubuntu: the belief true humanity is achieved through mutual respect and interconnectedness. It's a philosophy planted in Pocock on a farm in Zimbabwe, nurtured amid fear and inequality and sown during a challenging search for physical and spiritual reconciliation. ...

"It comes down to equal love. I don't think it's the government's role to tell people that their love is right or wrong."

[Continued here]

NRL referee Matt Cecchin says being gay no reason to live in fear
[Daily Telegraph, February 13, 2012]

A closely held secret among parts of the rugby league community for the past six years, Cecchin has chosen to go public after his teenage son completed his HSC last year.

Engaged to be married 13 years ago, Cecchin told family and friends about his sexuality after reading a copy of retired NRL star Ian Roberts' book Finding Out.

Cecchin becomes the first NRL official or player since Roberts in 1995 to declare he is gay.

"Like a lot of people, I thought to be gay you had to be feminine, you had to go to nightclubs and you had to be in the scene and I was never into that," said Cecchin, who has refereed 116 NRL games and four Test matches.

[Continued here]

Josh Dixon, Olympics Gymnastics Hopeful, Comes Out As Gay
[HuffPo, May 7, 2012]

Josh Dixon could become the first openly gay male gymnast to participate in the Olympics.

As Outsports is reporting, the Stanford graduate -- who finished second out of 72 competitors, and tied for wins in floor exercise and high bar, at this weekend's U.S. Men's Qualifier in Colorado Springs -- is publicly addressing his sexual orientation for the first time.

"This would never affect how I'm judged or my position on the U.S. Olympic team," Dixon, who is half-black and half-Japanese, told the site.

Dixon reportedly had a romantic relationship with a varsity athlete in his third year at Stanford, and he received ample support when he came out to his fellow gymnasts, according to Gay Star News.

[Continued here]