Tag: out athletes

Posted on

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley speaks in support of gay athletes

In a satellite interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, the NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley spoke out in support of recently out football player Michael Sam and gay rights in general, saying:

“I think it’s an insult to gay people to think that they are going to be looking at their teammates in a sexual way. That’s an insult to all gay men. And we welcome them to the locker room, and I wish Mr. Sam the best.”

Barkley added that he thinks gays and lesbians deserve the same rights as all Americans.

Barkley has a history of speaking up for the LGBT community. In 2011, Barkley referenced Martin Luther King Jr. on the subject of gay discrimination, saying, “His daughter [Rev. Bernice King] said something that was very interesting. People try to make it about black and white. [But MLK] talked about equality for every man, every woman. We have a thing going on now, people discriminating against homosexuality in this country. I love the homosexuality people. God bless the gay people. They are great people.”

Posted on

ESPN survey: 86% of NFL players say sexual orientation doesn’t matter

ESPN surveys active NFL players about the prospect of having an openly gay player on their team

ESPN conducted an anonymous survey last week of 51 active NFL players asking four questions regarding the possibility of an openly gay player being drafted and playing in the league.

Fifty-one players, almost an entire team roster, responded to four true-false questions. Although the survey showed that most players aren’t concerned with another’s sexual orientation, it also made clear the concerns that players would have with learning how to relate to an openly gay teammate.

Forty-four players said a teammate’s sexual orientation didn’t matter to them, and 39 said they would be comfortable showering around a gay teammate. But 32 players said they had teammates or coaches who used homophobic slurs last season, and when asked whether an openly gay player would be comfortable in a NFL locker room, just 25 players said yes; 21 said no, while five declined to answer.

University of Missouri’s Michael Sam came out last week amid much fanfare as he’s expected to be drafted in the third to fifth rounds this coming May. He was SEC co-Defensive Player of the Year and led his conference in tackles and sacks.

Posted on

University of Missouri students give Michael Sam standing ovation

Photo via YouTube

Returning to his alma mater with his football team mates to accept the 2104 Cotton Bowl Trophy, newly out football player and SEC Defensive Player of the Year Michael Sam received a standing ovation from the crowd at the Mizzou vs. Tennessee basketball game halftime.

Of course, Westboro Baptist Church felt the need to show up to protest Michael Sam’s return. But hundreds of students formed a “silent wall” to block Westboro as they publicly called Sam a “filthy pervert.”

Via Instagram

Via Michael Sam Twitter

Via YouTube

(via Buzzfeed)

Posted on

Out football player Michael Sam shows he has moves on and off the field

Newly out University of Missouri football player Michael Sam is quickly on his way to becoming a sex symbol, if the clip below is any indication.

Check the video footage of Sam dancing shirtless at a local gay club in Columbia, Missouri, last October.

The handsome and buff All-American clearly has the moves on the field and off.

Via TMZ.

Posted on

College baseball player Chandler Whitney, boyfriend of Conner Mertens, comes out

College baseball player Chandler Whitney

After seeing the reaction to his boyfriend’s coming out (college football player Conner Mertens), Chandler Whitney decided he had the confidence and conviction to finally come out to his Walla Walla Community College baseball team when he returned to school from winter break.

Outsports.com has the story:

Last week when the baseball team gathered for the first practices of the new year, talk turned to stories from winter break. Because he’d spent much of the break with Mertens, Whitney felt the time was now. He stood up in front of the team, said he had contemplated whether to tell them a secret or not, and shared a “confession” he’d been holding back from them since they first met:

“I’m gay.”

The team broke into spontaneous applause. It took Whitney off-guard.

“Being where I am in eastern Washington, it’s not the response I expected. I’m in Walla Walla, there’s not a lot of open-mindedness on the surface.”

Congrats to Chandler Whitney! For your courage and conviction to be yourself. You inspire a LOT of young people out there.

Forward.

Posted on

Finland: Olympic swimmer comes out before Sochi games

Finnish Olympic swimmer Ari-Pekka Liukkonen has made history by becoming the first Finnish athlete to come out as gay while still active in his sport.

The winner of the bronze medal in the 4x50m mixed freestyle relay at the 2012 European Championships, he said he wanted to talk publicly about his sexuality close to the Sochi Olympic games to bring attention to Russia’s controversial anti-gay legislation.

From Finnish news site Yle.

“I wanted to start a broader discussion in connection with Sochi, because it’s sad that the legislation in Russia restricts the human rights of young people and others,” Liukkonen told Yle.

“It’s a really great feeling that I can finally be myself,” added Liukkonen.

Liukkonen added that he hopes his coming out will lead to a more open attitude about sexual orientation in sports and that eventually it will no longer be considered news. ”Homosexuality is the same kind of characteristic as whether a person has blue or brown eyes, or whether they are left- or right-handed,” he offered.

The swimmer came out to his family on an individual basis over the past couple of years and said their response was very supportive.

“My family has received the news positively, and everyone has supported me,” Liukkonen revealed, adding that they had already sensed that he’s gay.

Liukkonen has suffered from mycoplasma for the past two years, but is optimistic about competing in the 50 metre freestyle in the Rio Olympic games in 2016.

Posted on

Out soccer player Anton Hysen talks about coming out as gay athlete in Sweden

Sweden’s Anton Hysen, openly gay soccer player

Excellent, wide-ranging interview with openly gay Swedish soccer player and Dancing with the Stars champion Anton Hysén on being an out footballer in Sweden:

“I’ve had quite a few anonymous phone calls from players who want to come out but I don’t know who they are or where they play. I hope that someone else will come out just like Robbie Rogers did. That was great for U.S. soccer. At last we’re having a discussion about it and that’s huge. It has been pretty quiet and I understand that. People might not want to come out publicly and I understand. For me, the whole experience has been really positive. I’ve not had any trouble at all. If somebody says something, then I don’t care. I don’t have time for any of that. I don’t waste my energy on that…”

When I first came out I thought I would be in the newspapers in Sweden for a couple of days and that’s it — I didn’t think people would really care to be honest. And then suddenly it went crazy, and within two days the whole world knew, but it feels pretty good. I know that I’ve done something good with my life. I was just a kid who happened to be gay — I never thought it would be such a big deal.”

 
Anton winning Sweden’s “Dancing With The Stars”

(via Queerty)

Posted on

UK: Gay pro footballers say they stay closeted out of fear of fans reactions

Eight pro soccer players in the UK have revealed to the Professional Footballers Association they are gay, but remain closeted out of fear of fan reactions. From the Guardian:

Gay campaigners told the Observer that Clarke Carlisle, chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association, had revealed that eight players had approached him to disclose that they were gay. Seven told him that the reason they would not reveal their sexual orientation publicly was not the reaction from the dressing room or club, but the potential reaction from the media and supporters.

Chris Basiurski, chair of the Gay Football Supporters’ Network, said that, although progressive attitudes had begun to infiltrate the dressing room, the fear of how supporters would react remained a problem.

American Robbie Rogers, who had played for Leeds United, came out earlier this year and simultaneously retired saying he didn’t think it possible to continue to play and be out. Recently, he’s begun training with the LA Galaxy and may return to the game. Time will tell.

The Guardian goes on to say there are reports of players in the pro soccer world who are openly gay within their team organizations but continue to be closeted to the world due to concerns regarding pressures and reactions in the aftermath of coming out:

“We have anecdotal evidence that players are out within their clubs and don’t have a problem. But we are trying to create an atmosphere for people to come out safely, but at the moment there is a big barrier. The fact is, we have never really tested the fans, both home or away, on this.

“The danger is what happens when a player comes out and gets loads of support and attention, but then start playing badly. The worry is that fans will start getting on their backs and they may lose the confidence of their manager and it could be connected to their sexuality.”