How One Gay Athlete's Comg Out Led To An Activists' War

lgbt sports coalition

By Dan Woog Once upon a time, there was no such thg as LGBT sports. No one imaged gay men uld be athlet. Bis, weren't all female athlet

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HOW ONE GAY ATHLETE'S COMG OUT LED TO AN ACTIVISTS' WAR

Nike has unveiled s latt le of rabow-lored sneakers unr s #BeTe Free Run 5.0 le as a nod to gay pri and the LGBT muny. Profs of the llectn's sal will go to the LGBT Sports Coaln, which has set the goal to end the practice of anti-LGBT discrimatn sport by 2016. * lgbt sports coalition *

"Najee Harris ments on Saquon Barkley and the value of RBsOffEnglishTwo days after Gordon told his team he was gay, an LGBT sports advocy group tent on makg self part of the story sent out a letter that broke Gordon's small circle wi open. "A UMass basketball player is g out as gay next week.

St was aghast: "Were they really gog to people and tellg them Derrick is gay before he's ready to e out? At the heart of the drama was a clash over philosophi about how bt to support closeted and openly gay athlet.

The procs, iated by his agents, was shepherd by high-powered publicist Howard Bragman and Outsports's Cyd Zeigler, whose experience both the media and gay rights advocy make him a go-to nsultant for anyone needg help wh eher. Beg a gay NFL prospect isn't enough if you're not his behd-the-scen look, Zeigler h on an exposed nerve.

NIKE UNVEILS LE OF SNEAKERS CELEBRATG GAY PRI

The rights of gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr people have taken centre stage ahead of Spa's July 23 natnal electn. * lgbt sports coalition *

… His role the movement toward LGBT equaly sports will be simply playg the sport as an out gay man.

'WE'RE NOT HIDG': GAY AND LBIAN RSIANS SAY A CULTURAL SHIFT IS UNRWAY

Athlete Ally was formed as a nonprof 2011 by Hudson Taylor, a former llege wrtler who got fed up wh all the homophobic talk he heard the locker room. Athlete Ally has gay ambassadors as well, but s missn is geared around outreach toward the heterosexual teammat and iends of gay athlet.

"Athlete Ally's board is filled wh heavy hters, cludg NFL player Brendan Ayanbajo, former NHL player Sean Avery, former New York Cy Council speaker Christe Qun, and polil strategist Brian Ellner, who is as rponsible as anyone for the succsful gay-marriage ph New York State. Athlete Ally remaed the aln by five is a victory, measurable prtige and fundg, for an advocy group to own the story of a gay athlete.

Over a year ago, Gordon reached out to Wa Davis, the openly gay former NFL player who serv as the executive director for You Can Play.

ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL

Nimo says Gordon was relieved to disver that there was an entire muny of gay basketball fans, ach, and former players. "I wanted to let you all know I'm gay, " the ach said.

"The versn that went to the UMass athletics office read, part:We have been privy to nfintial - that a UMass basketball player is g out as gay next week, which I'm sure you're timately volved . "Taylor allows that the staffer who sent the email should've exercised a ltle more discretn, but he unrstands that the young man—himself gay, and long a part of the UMass muny—was exced to get volved the moment. Athlete Ally Congratulat UMass Basketball Player Derrick Gordon On Comg Out As GayNEW YORK, NEW YORK (April 9, 2014) – As reported by several media outlets, UMass shootg guard Derrick Gordon ma sports history today by beg the first openly gay active men's player NCAA Divisn I Athlete Ally Ambassador Program is place at UMass Amherst, and is officially sponsored by UMass athlet.

"Derrick's cisn to live his tth as a proud gay man shows a tremendo amount of urage, and jt how far we've e as an athletic culture, " said Athlete Ally Founr & Executive Director and Co-thor of Champns of Rpect, the NCAA's guibook to LGBTQ cln, Hudson Taylor.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* LGBT SPORTS COALITION

Activists nmn vlence agast LGBTQ muny St. Vcent, where gay sex is illegal - The San Diego Unn-Tribune.

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