I wrote a quick diary earlier this week about Nike hosting the first LGBT Sports Summit next month. It was quick and has some big attendees like ESPN, the NCAA, GLAAD, among many others. I didn't get a chance to get to why this matters.
doc2 said in that dairy:
I think that many people assume that (3+ / 0-)
virtually every male professional athlete is straight, and that virtually every professional female athlete is gay. But the truth is something very different. I think that nothing could be better at dispelling some of the anti-gay prejudice than to have examples of well-known male athletes (especially football players) come out, while they are playing.
I happen to agree with that statement. It has to do with a combination of factors and plays into many events currently happening. Valerie Jarret mentioned
two years ago why
Title IX was important and the statistical advantages of sports and young women. Not every young person who plays sports will become a professional athlete, that is a fact.
Sports can have a long term benefit for women in their health, education, and overall well being.
So why would it be important to fight stereotypes?
A high school locker room is not for the faint if heart. Survival of the fittest is the rule there and there is a definite pecking order. If you do not fit the 'norm' then you could be a target and the first words usually thrown are "faggot" or "fag." It doesn't matter what the recipients sexual orientation actually is, once those words are hurled then it could be all over. Harassment and bullying have had a 'boys will be boys' mentality forever. If you are a gay youth and undersized, high school gym class can be terrifying. (I know because I was 5'5" when I was 15 and hated changing for gym class. By 16 I was 5'10" so things got better.) Locker rooms are the place that LGBT youth felt unsafest in schools.
The stereotype of gay men used to be a flaming queen. Not sure what it is now, but Paul Lynde and his Center Square often comes to mind. (I totally dated myself there.) Gay men are typically perceived as weaker and effiminate. The Arena of Masculinity by Brian Pronger, written in 1992, explores masculinity, male gender, and gay stereotypes. It's not an easy read. But at the same time sports provide a number of benefits for young people that locker rooms need to be made safer. Not every young man is built to be a football player, but swimming, tennis, running, some form of activity can be beneficial. So how to encourage these activities?
Change the stereotype - break it - so that LGBT youth know there is someone out there like them. The Lavender Locker Room by Patricia Nell Warren is a history of LGTB figures in sports for the last 3000 years. It was written in 2006 and the foreward was penned by the founders of Outsports. Jocks: True Stories of America's Gay Male Athletes - by Dan Woog written in 1998. Outsports Coming Out Story Archive has many LGBT persons who have come out over the years. Corey Johnson's story was featured by the New York Times in April 2000. Sports Illustrated: The Transgender Athlete this article came out last month. Those are all stories that can be related to by someone. They help dispell myths and stereotypes.
Since sports have benefits, long term benefits, the fact that many organizations are stepping up to address some of the issues is important. Stereotypes and lingering homophobia can discourage kids from exploring sports related activities.
As a personal note, I know I loved playing tennis at an early age. In fact I developed a slice backhand after watching Martina Navratilova use it so effectively. I played a serve and volley style because of her and Stefan Edberg. My love of tennis has never gone away. (I can watch tennis on the eliptical machine and ignore the time spent there.)
I am not a fan of Outing. No person, unless he/she is a total anti-gay bastard, should be outed. I do hope that a professional male player from one of the Big Four sports comes out. It will take courage, but that act can change stereotypes in an instant. People tend to stop thinking of a gay person as 'other' when they know one. People tend to build strong relationships with specific teams and players. I think the first player to come out is likely to be in the collegiate ranks already instead of a current player.
It will be very interesting to see what comes out of the Sports Summit. I for one am encouraged that it is happening at all.