Why There Few Openly Gay Athlet In Men's Profsnal Sports : NPR

Contents:

• HERE ARE THE 6 GAY MEN WHO HAVE BEEN OUT PUBLICLY WHILE PETG PRO BASKETBALL
• ALTERNATE HISTORY: HOW GOOD WOULD A GAY S LOVE SSNS LP BE?
• TOP 3 NBA PLAYERS WHO ARE GAY FEAT. JASON COLLS AND MORE
• THE NBA HAS AN OPENLY GAY PLAYER: WHAT CHANG?
• WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS
• JASON COLLS JOS NETS, IS NBA'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER
• 5 GAY ATHLET WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD
• BOOK TELLS OF LIFE THE NBA FOR A GAY PLAYER
• BILL KENNEDY OUT AS SEND ACTIVE OPENLY GAY NBA OFFICIAL
• TOP 10 ATHLET WHO ARE RUMORED TO BE GAY
• THE ONLY 3 OUT, GAY NBA PLAYERS IN HISTORY

HERE ARE THE 6 GAY MEN WHO HAVE BEEN OUT PUBLICLY WHILE PETG PRO BASKETBALL

Wh Pri Month g to an end, let’s take a moment to remember the Grizzli’ duo of Rudy Gay and Kev Love back on 2008 draft night. He was drafted 2006 by the Hoton Rockets, and before they immediately shipped him out for Shane Battier, he was an tegral part of the dynamic Swift-Gay-Head era. Quickly she learned that, by then, the NBA and WNBA had veloped a mutual culture of cln for gay and lbian people.

So when two gay men — Drew Tagliabue wh PFLAG and Ken Mehlman wh GLSEN — approached her about embracg the LGBTQ muny, Behrens was all ears. It was an ia prented by GLSEN — a PSA about stampg out the pejorative term “that’s so gay” — that piqued her tert.

ALTERNATE HISTORY: HOW GOOD WOULD A GAY S LOVE SSNS LP BE?

So 2011 the NBA fund and shot a PSA wh Grant Hill and Jared Dudley talkg about the need to elimate “sually homophobic” language om sports and society. Rick Welts and Jason Colls, two gay trailblazers the NBA, are both honore on the 2023 Outsports Power 100. As Welts built a Hall of Fame reer the NBA ont office, as well as wh the Suns and Goln State Warrrs, his secret — he was gay wh a boyiend — stuck wh him.

Those NBA teams brought attus about gays and lbians that were at tim fearful their prence the WNBA might sre away non-LGBTQ fans. Shortly after, Lippard and Welts — who had heard about each other whispers about gay men the league — fed a iendship, and Welts beme an important mentor for Lippard.

TOP 3 NBA PLAYERS WHO ARE GAY FEAT. JASON COLLS AND MORE

“Adam and I uld have wonrful nversatns about the work environments we were , and beg gay this kd of dtry and what we uld acplish beg out and the abily to share that. Certaly lns of people know of Colls, the first active out gay athlete any of the Big Four Leagu. What’s the impact of havg someone like Jemison — the rare gay Black woman wh a seat at the table a ont office Amerin sports, who has also worked all of the Big Four men’s pro sports — beg so out and proud?

THE NBA HAS AN OPENLY GAY PLAYER: WHAT CHANG?

Y, those early days of the WNBA were a b rougher wh nversatns wh the league about how to addrs the gay and lbian prence the league. Tle says FOR:Mny: Get a good player for one that wants outBucks: So they won't have prsure to sign overpriced role players & keep tankgRockets: Get two good piec that uld help them w, probably better than what they hadKgs: Get rid of Gay and start anew wh Love and Asik.

When John Amaechi me out publicly 2007, he was ahead of his time, sharg that he’s gay and a former profsnal basketball player. Sce Colls showed the world you uld be a gay man profsnal basketball, there has been a trickle of gay athlet to follow, most recently former NBA player and current Atralian pro basketball player Isaac Humphri.

The LGBT movement emerged as early as the 1870s, but homosexual rights groups didn't appear until after World War II September 1945.

WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS

To add onto the topic of the Warrrs, print Rick Welts me out as gay an terview wh the New York Tim 2011.

Homophobia is somethg that shouldn't have a place sports bee LGBT folks n be fans, media members, employe and executiv too.

" We, as a untry, need to une and not jt bee of the tragic gay nightclub shootg Orlando, Florida, that occurred last summer.

JASON COLLS JOS NETS, IS NBA'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER

His fay reportedly had mixed emotns towards the announcement, but he still changed the game, beg the first Divisn I men's basketball player to e out as gay and play gam. He also received praise om Colls and former NFL fensive end Michael Sam, who beme the first openly gay football player.

Denver Nuggets power forward Kenh Faried has been a gay rights supporter for a long time.

5 GAY ATHLET WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD

In 2011, mors surfaced, claimg that Selby was gay after an alleged email to another man was leaked. When then-Phoenix Suns print and CEO Rick Welts me out as gay May 2011, former NBA pot guard Steve Nash pledged his support favor of the LGBT muny. Nash said the vio, "A growg number of profsnal athlet are speakg out support of gay and lbian upl gettg married, I'm proud to be one of them.

Asi om his open support for gay rights, he also ns the Steve Nash Foundatn, which helps children who are affected by poverty, illns, abe or neglect, and creat opportuny for tn, play, and empowerment, Phoenix, Arizona, and Brish Columbia, Canada. He told Good Day LA, "I thk gay marriage, same-sex marriage is them go through what we go through. In his hman year at Villanova, he first me out as gay to his teammate and roommate Mike Villa before nfsg to his parents three months later.

BOOK TELLS OF LIFE THE NBA FOR A GAY PLAYER

Amaechi was the first former NBAer to publicly e out as gay after retirg om the league. There's hardly any Hispanic players, no Asian-Amerins, so that there's no openly gay players is no real surprise. Last year, the NBA moved s 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte, North Carola, due to the state's law that lims anti-discrimatn protectns for lbian, gay and transgenr people.

"We may not had the Gay Love between Cos that we craved, but we did have some Love Ssns for a year Mnota. His breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever was done before and we jt put Luther Head even when he hadn't played a whileGayCosLoveHeadSsns Mtangs/Jayhawks/Texans/Rockets/Astros posted...

BILL KENNEDY OUT AS SEND ACTIVE OPENLY GAY NBA OFFICIAL

Here's a look at some other former NBA players who have spired others to e out as gay. John Amaechi beme one of the first profsnal basketball players to openly adm he was gay.

After ially feelg overwhelmed bee, “I know I me out here to experience ‘gay stuff’ but all jt feels, ” Victor’s host tak him to a basketball urt to “butch up” by challengg some NYC ballers.

And, you know, for - I thk a lot of young people out there who, you know, are, you know, gay or lbian who are stgglg wh the issu; to see a role mol like that who's unaaid, I thk 's a great So athlet, ach, we want to hear om you. In 2011, Charl Barkley, a man known for his mon sense but never for his tact, said plaly, he was sure that every player has played wh gay guys; and went on: It bothers me when I hear the reporters and jocks get on TV and say oh, no guy n e out as a team sport.

TOP 10 ATHLET WHO ARE RUMORED TO BE GAY

We bond outsi of the sport, and I jt - I was close to the people, but them beg gay no way changed the sport or my opn of them.

And I thk if perceptn of the few change, then that reflects more on the public perceptn of somebody beg gay than Jason Colls. And though I n't actually say that - bee this is back high school, and I don't know if any of my teammat were gay. But even if they had been - and I hope this is a feelg that is g up the younger generatn - that beg gay or straight really don't matter to who you are as a person.

If he's a good player, I want to play wh him, and I want to learn om him - gay or As you probably know better than I, though, for example the European soccer leagu, there's a lot of homophobia. There are homophobic chants that are popular among some of the crowds I don't unrstand that at all.

THE ONLY 3 OUT, GAY NBA PLAYERS IN HISTORY

There was Chris Brosard, the NBA analyst on ESPN, on an edn of "Outsi the L, " where he scribed homosexualy as an open rebelln to God. Brosard said that durg a segment, also clud gay ESPN lumnist Liz - LZ Granrson rather.