Openly Gay Soccer Player Robbie Rogers Trains With LA Galaxy Might Make Comeback.
Yesterday, American soccer star Robbie Rogers returned to training with the LA Galaxy. Rogers came out of the closet in February and if he does return to the MLS he will be the first openly gay soccer player in the world. The problem is, even though Rogers is a free agent,the Chicago Fire own his rights. Rogers isn’t interested in working in Chicago he wants to play for the LA Galaxy so he can be close to his family in the Southern California area. The interesting aspect of the Robbie Rogers story is, on various internet forums there is a lot of excitement people seem thrilled he might comeback. There is also no hint of homophobia at least from what I’ve read about Robbie Rogers online.
There seems to be a lot of people who truly respect this young man since he was so courageous to come out during his prime. Rogers is only twenty five, he turns twenty six later this month but he still has time to continue his successful career. Rogers retired from professional soccer because he is concerned about dealing with homophobia in the lockeroom and from fans from opposing teams. I sincerely hope Robbie Rogers does return to the MLS because just by competing he can give a lot of hope to LGBT people. I am cognizant that Rogers doesn’t want to be a gay hero he just wants to be a soccer player. Since there is a paucity of male athletes coming out in professional sports Robbie Rogers is proof a gay man can be masculine and also excel at sports.
Although Gay Marriage Bill Is Approved In France Homophobia Still A Serious Problem.
I am not surprised that some French people are against gay marriage. Although France is a secular country, there are some conservative elements to French society. I am glad the same sex marriage bill was approved and that marriage equality now exists in France for gay couples. Some of the arguments of conservatives are that the French family is going to decay and breakdown.
However, in Canada almost a decade ago prior to gay marriage becoming law there were similar arguments. Now almost eight years since same sex marriage became legal in Canada it isn’t a big deal anymore. Even the conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, recognizes that same sex marriage is just a part of what makes Canada a great nation. Canada was the first country in the western hemisphere to legalize gay marriage.
I think in a generation from now in France people won’t make a big deal about same sex marriage they won’t be upset about it. Consenting adults should be allowed to marry whomever a person of the same sex. Why should gay people in France be denied gay marriage when they pay taxes just like the heterosexuals? It is nice to see France moving forward and progressing towards modernity.
Football Stud Brendon Ayanbadejo Writes Article Telling NFL To Provide Support So First Openly Gay Athlete Can Come Out!!
Ex-Raven Brendon Ayanbadejo continues to fight for same-sex marriage rights in the US.
FOX Sports
BRENDON AYANBADEJO
APR 22, 2013 2:31 PM ET
Brendon Ayanbadejo is a 10-year NFL veteran who last played with the Super Bowl XLVII champion Baltimore Ravens and is a staunch supporter of same-sex marriage rights. In August 2012, Maryland state delegate Emmett Burns Jr. wrote an open letter to Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti requesting Ayanbadejo cease and desist all public support of marriage equality after Ayanbadejo donated Ravens tickets to help fundraise for marriage equality in Maryland. A law allowing same-sex marriages in the state eventually passed in late 2012 and took effect Jan. 1.
While the equality treadmill under most of our feet is moving at a high rate of speed, I would imagine this journey is not traveling fast enough for many Americans whose lives are directly impacted by the possibility of change.
Consider tennis hall of famer Billie Jean King, who was outed in 1981 when her relationship with another woman became public, and Greg Louganis, the four-time Olympic gold medal-winning American diver, who came out some seven years after King.
With more than 55 years combined of public scrutiny of their sexuality, the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which restricts some federal marriage benefits to only opposite-sex couples, and Prop 8, California’s state law restricting same-sex marriage can’t come soon enough for these two American heroes and California residents who have forever shaped the face of their respective sports.
Yet, we still have such a long journey ahead of us. Draconian policies such as “don’t ask, don’t tell” are a thing of the past, and with the quickly approaching U.S. Supreme Court rulings on the repeal of DOMA and Prop 8 in June, it appears as if we are on the precipice of a more progressive and accepting America.
It is quite hard to fathom that, in two years, we have nearly doubled the amount of states that have legalized marriage equality. In this time, New York, Maryland, Maine and Washington have approved same-sex marriage, bringing the total number of states that allow it to nine, as well as the District of Columbia.
Equal marriage rights are on the radar for Illinois, Delaware, Rhode Island and nine other states by the end of 2014. A March 2013 FOX News poll on same-sex marriage shows that 49 percent of Americans believe in same-sex marriage while 46 percent are in opposition. Support is up 32 percent from 2003.
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While LGBTQ Americans can bravely and proudly serve our country in battle and even die protecting our freedom overseas, it is still perfectly legal in 29 states, to fire someone because he or she is a part of the LGBTQ community.
LGBTQ Americans do not, under DOMA, currently have any federal rights. There are so many things wrong with this picture. And, as many of us openly support and fight for equal rights in this community, we are also left asking ourselves questions about why many who identify as LGBT or Q are still so hesitant to join the fight.
Brittney Griner came out on Thursday, saying people should “just be who you are.” But being who you are in the four major professional sports isn’t accepted.
When will a male athlete come out in the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL?
Even as it appears American pop culture is ready to accept a gay male athlete, the stratified sporting culture might not be quite as keen on the idea of our favorite NFL player scoring touchdowns on Sundays and celebrating in Chelsea (NYC) or Hillcrest (San Diego) on Sunday nights with his boys after a hard-fought victory.
I certainly wouldn’t have a problem with it.
Corporate America doesn’t, either.
It’s time to plan work and family weddings as the NFL releases the dates and times for this year’s games.
Corporate America is frothing at the mouth, waiting for a gay superstar to take the sporting culture by the reins. Companies such as Levi’s, American Airlines, Google, and Starbucks are huge money makers, but also morality moguls in corporate America, having been rated in the top LGBTQ friendly corporations.
And just like the infamous “Bo knows” marketing campaign by Nike, I could also see a sneaker and apparel giant backing a superstar athlete with a “gay is great” campaign.
Make no mistake, the LGBTQ community’s buying power is something corporate America is keeping its eye on. The overall spending power of this growing demographic is projected to be well over $2 trillion in 2013, by some estimations.
I personally have stopped patronizing all retailers that are not LGBTQ friendly. Not only are these corporations losing out on LGBTQ dollars, but also straight dollars from family and friends of the LGBTQ community.
The most important company yet to weigh in on the issue of gays in sports is the NFL itself.
The NFL is the most popular and most-watched sport in the U.S., capturing some 59 percent of the entire U.S. population as viewers. With 1,696 players on its opening day rosters, the NFL is also the largest professional sports league in North America.
The NHL has 690 players; the NBA has 450 players; and MLB has 750 players total on its 25-man rosters, for a total of 1,890 professional athletes.
The lowest estimations say that about three percent of the population at large is gay. If you extrapolate that number across these 3,586 pro athletes, that would equate to 107 or 108 professional gay athletes, with 50 or 51 of them in the NFL.
Yet to this day we still have not heard of an athlete coming out during his playing career in any of our four professional sports. The NHL has a leg up on the other three leagues because of its alliance with the “You Can Play Foundation” that supports LGBTQ athletes.
The other three leagues have a faint footprint, or none at all, in supporting or aligning with a LGBTQ organization.
What are they waiting for?
If we hope to close one of the last closets in America, I would call upon the NFL to be proactive and align with an LGBTQ organization, something that it has not done publicly yet.
When the NFL does take such action, maybe players will be more at liberty to feel not only that they can be themselves at the workplace, but also that their employer has their best interest at heart and not just the bottom line. I would even argue that profits would increase if there were a gay player on the roster. At the end of the day, I have played with several gay athletes in my tenure with the NFL. I just didn’t know it!
The Media, Gay Community, & General Public Are Expecting Too Much From Closeted Gay Athletes.
Last night, the American gossip website Mediatakeout splashed the provactive pics of NFL player Kerry Rhodes embracing his male assistant. Immediately, people began speculating if Rhodes is the first gay NFL player to come out. However, Rhodes told TMZ he is not gay as he attempted to squash the gay rumours. The fact that Rhodes felt the need to announce his heterosexuality is not surprising. The problem is the intense media attention about this elusive gay male athlete means the general public is now paying close attention ttrying to figure out who these gay athletes are. This just puts even more pressure on the closeted athletes to remain in the closet.
Although the mainstream North American media want a gay male athlete from the NFL, NHL, NBA, or MLB to come out I am not sure if it is going to happen. There are numerous arguments as to why a top male athlete has not come out. The gay community is also to blame because we place so much of our expectations on gay celebrities. We forget that gay celebrities are also people they have flaws, they aren’t perfect, yet we expect them to live up to our impossible unrealistic standards.
For instance, Robbie Rogers the young American soccer player came out as gay a few months ago on his blog. However, on Queerty, Towelroad, and other gay blogs Rogers was attacked and called a coward because he refused to be the gay Jackie Robinson. Rogers told The Guardian, and the New York Times that there is a pack mentality in the sports lockerooms. The heterosexual men use gay slurs, and make jokes about homosexuals. Rogers doesn’t want to deal with the homophobia and I can’t blame the man. Who would want to be subjected to abuse? Rogers is also worried about fans in soccer giving him a hard time when he is competing. This is probably going to happen if a gay man does come out in the NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB. When the first gay male athlete comes out it is going to be a mixed response. Some people are going to be supportive while others are going to be homophobic.
Meanwhile, female athletes are already coming out and declaring they are lesbians yet they are treated with such disregard and disrespect. In Nigeria, there is new controversy that their soccer Federation is screening out lesbian athletes from joining the women’s soccer team. In North America, lesbian athletes and coaches in women’s basketball also experience discrimination.
Last year, Megan Rapinoe a top American female soccer player came out declaring she is a lesbian yet there was hardly any media attention. Rapinoe brave decision to come out was treated like an afterthought, as though it didn’t matter. Why are courageous lesbian athletes treated with such disdain as though they don’t matter? Rapinoe’s decision to come out is amazing, she’s not afraid of speaking out about homophobia in sports but because she’s a woman she’s treated as inferior by the sports media.
The misogyny of the mainstream sports media is often ignored about the struggles and contributions of lesbian athletes. In professional tennis the only players coming out are the lesbians not the gay men. In modern tennis history numerous lesbians have come out such as Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Amelie Mauresmo, Renee Stubbs, Gigi Fernandez, Conchita Martinez, and Lisa Raymond. Lesbians are treated with respect on the WTA Tour. However, on the ATP men’s tennis tour no gay man has come out since Bill Tidlen in the 1920s.
Even though, professional tennis is an individual sport the gay male tennis players on the ATP Tour are not coming out. The question remains why?
The unknown is a barrier for the gay male athletes, nobody knows what the reaction of sponsors, agents, media, fans, are going to be. Since nobody wants to take the first step to come out the closet door remains firmly shut. The internet is also a lightning rod of homophobia in the fan forums such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports the homophobia is intense. The
core message of the homophobes online is they want a don’t don’t tell policy to remain intact. The homophobes believe if a gay male athlete comes out he’s being selfish, taking attention away from the team and coming out in order to obtain media attention. This argument is weak because homosexuality is still viewed as being private while heterosexuality is treated as public in society. Heterosexual male athletes broadcast their girlfriends, wives, children, talk about their marriages, their love lives to the media. Meanwhile, the gay male athletes have to hide their sexual orientation in order to maintain the peace.
The homophobic comments on blogs are adamant they will not accept a gay male athlete. This homophobia online is often ignored in the press. The subliminal message is masculinty and homosexuality are like oil and water they don’t mix. A gay male athlete would challenge the homophobia that a gay man cannot be masculine and cannot excel in professional sports.
The closeted gay male athletes of course, read the sports websites, they know some sports fans are homophobic and this is probably one of the reasons they remain in the closet.
Another point to consider is, maybe these gay male athletes don’t want to be the gay Jackie Robinson? Maybe, these gay male athletes don’t want the intense media and public attention? Think about it, a gay man who is closeted can live his life discreetly he can date whomever he wants, and nobody knows.
It is interesting that the gay activism in the NFL have been the heterosexual allies such as Chris Kluwe and Brendan Ayanbadjeo. Ayanbadjeo was criticized by the gay media when he announced last week that up to four gay NFL players might come out at the same time. I believe the gay media attacking Ayanbadjeo is counterproductive because he has been very passionate and vocal about gay rights. Ayanbadjeo didn’t have to speak out about homophobia in the NFL he could have kept his mouth closed and followed the status quo.
Sometimes the gay community we are our own worse enemy. I think the gay male athletes are cognizant that if they do come out the gay community is going to put so much pressure on these men to become gay activists. Robbie Rogers has already illustrated that it isn’t fair to expect so much from a gay male athlete. All these guys want to do is compete, play sports, make their money and be the best they can be. The media, the gay community, and the general public need to dial down their expectations of gay athletes.
Traditional Gay African Wedding In South Africa.
Wow, this video brings tears to my eyes, it is so wonderful to see a young gay black couple in love! This wedding is going to open the minds of people across the globe. I also believe this wedding will hopefully start a dialogue in the black community about homosexuality. Gay marriage is legal in South Africa and I think this wedding is symbolic to show South Africa is progressing. Yes, gays and lesbians in South Africa still encounter discrimination, but this wedding illustrates more African people are accepting homosexuality.
Former NFL Player Kwame Harris Comes Out The Closet Talks About Sports Career & Homosexuality.
I am very pleased that Kwame Harris the former NFL player decided to come out of the closet and talk about his homosexuality. We need more black gay men in the pop culture to come out and let people know it is okay to be black and gay. It is sad that that Kwame didn’t feel he could come out of the closet during his NFL career. The homophobia in the NFL is still very strong. According to a CBS reporter Mike Freeman, a closeted gay man in the NFL is thinking about coming out and continuing his career.
Huffington Post Article: Marco McMillian’s Family Claim Mississippi Mayoral Candidate’s Death Was A Hate Crime
By Emily Le Coz
Posted: 03/04/2013 9:03 pm EST | Updated: 03/05/2013 10:26 am EST
By Emily Le Coz
The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger
JACKSON, Miss. — The family of Marco McMillian, the Clarksdale mayoral candidate found brutally murdered last week, want authorities to investigate the death of the openly gay candidate as a hate crime after learning the gruesome details about his final moments.
The Coahoma County (Miss.) Sheriff’s Department, however, isn’t exploring that option, said its spokesman Will Rooker. The department is leading the investigation with the help of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Bureau spokesman Warren Strain couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.
McMillian was beaten, dragged, and set afire before his body was found Wednesday near the Mississippi River, according to a statement the family issued late Sunday and which was confirmed Monday by family friend and Marco McMillian’s godfather, Carter Womack.
Womack also said the 33-year-old was found naked, bruised and swollen. The account was based on photographs the family saw, as well as two conversations it had with the coroner.
McMillian was one of the first viable openly gay candidates to run for office in Mississippi, according to the Victory Fund, a national organization that supports homosexual candidates.
“He was very concerned about his safety; people had tried to talk him out of the race,” Womack said. “The family feels this ought to be investigated as a hate crime,” Womack said.
So too does Larry Nelson Sr., president and CEO of Victims Group of Violent Crimes in Jackson, Miss., who had spoken to McMillian just days before his death: “This was a hate crime. I don’t care if the perpetrator was black, white, or polka dotted.”
Mississippi has a hate-crime law that covers race, religion and gender but doesn’t extend to sexual orientation. Local and state agencies can seek assistance to pursue a federal hate crime, which does cover homosexuality, but they haven’t done so in this case.
Rooker offered no comment on the family’s statement. Coahoma County Coroner Scotty Meredith said only that McMillian’s body wasn’t dragged behind a vehicle but rather dragged from the vehicle to the spot where it was dumped.
Autopsy results won’t be released until toxicology tests are complete, which could take an additional three weeks.
Authorities found McMillian’s body a day after his sport-utility vehicle was involved in a head-on collision outside Clarksdale. The man driving was 22-year-old Lawrence Reed of Clarksdale, who later was charged with the candidate’s murder.
McMillian was not in the SUV at the time; investigators believe he already was dead and had been dumped hours beforehand.
Chris Talley, the driver of the other vehicle, said authorities knew about the crime before the accident occurred. Talley was taken to a local hospital and released. Reed was airlifted to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis and released Saturday. He’s being held at the Shelby County Jail in Memphis, Tenn., until he can be extradited.
Authorities remain tight-lipped about the murder and its possible motives, not only with the media but with the McMillian family. Womack said the McMillians are frustrated by the lack of communication and feel the crime deserves a full investigation.
“The only contact with the sheriff’s department the family has had was when the sheriff came by to say Marco was missing and then to say they found the body,” he said. “There has been nothing at all. Not a call, not anything.”
Rooker didn’t comment about the communication between his department and the family.
Without definitive answers, mass speculation abounds. Among the numerous theories is that Reed allegedly killed McMillian after McMillian made sexual advances toward him, or that the two men possibly had been in a romantic relationship.
The family said it doesn’t know Reed and never heard McMillian speak of him. Family members said they wanted to share what little facts they have about the case to dispel such speculation.
McMillian had moved back to his hometown of Clarksdale several months ago to enter the mayoral race. He had wanted to reduce crime and boost employment opportunities.
Before his return, the Democratic candidate had served as international executive director of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, executive assistant and chief of staff to the president of Alabama A&M University, and assistant to the vice president for institutional advancement at Jackson State University, his alma mater.
McMillian, who also has a master’s degree from St. Mary’s University in Minnesota, ran a firm providing professional consultation to nonprofit organizations.
Actress Jodie Foster Indirectly Comes Out of Closet But Some In Gay & Lesbian Community Disappointed.
Jodie Foster did indirectly come out of the closet at the Golden Globe awards but she never actually said the three magic words “I am gay.” Foster did say she came out “thousands of years ago” in her rambling speech. Foster’s lesbianism is no secret nor is the fact her former lover is Cydney Bernard.
Foster has lived in the glass closet for many years and for a long time some members of the gay and lesbian community wished she had come out when she was a superstar. The reason is, if Foster had come out during her reign at the top of Hollywood her coming out might have a bigger social impact in advancing gay rights.
I understand the frustration though, that some gays and lesbians have about Foster’s reticence to declare she is a lesbian earlier in her career. Maybe, Foster worried that if she did come out as gay when she was making those hit movies such as Flightplan, Panic Room, that the good scripts would dry up? There is a paucity of A list and extremely high profile gay and lesbian stars out of the closet. Jodie Foster is definitely a high profile star.
This speech is evidence that perhaps gays and lesbian people we expect too much from gay celebrities? After all, gay celebrities are also human beings we are all flawed and not perfect. However, there seems to be so much expectations that the gay community places on pop culture icons like Jodie Foster. In this speech, Foster appears to be saying yes she’s a lesbian but she’s not going to be like Ellen Degeneres and become a lesbian activist. Some gay celebrities such as Jodie Foster feel there is a separation between her public life as an actress and her private life.
This is an important point, just because a celebrity is gay or lesbian he or she is under no obligation to get involved in the gay rights movement.
In addition, Foster also stressed although she is a celebrity, she believes she is entitled to a private life. On the gay blog Towleroad, some of the comments are negative some gays believe Foster only chose to come out now because her career is secure and she’s a multi millionaire.
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