Contents:
- WH THE CUB ROOM'S RETURN, IS NEW HOPE'S GAY BAR SCENE G BACK?
- TENNIS' LAST TABOO: WHY NO OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYERS?
- THIS GAY LLEGE ACH HAS FOUND ACCEPTANCE AND SUCCS NSERVATIVE AMERI
- CARMELO ANTHONY A LAKER? REPORTS LK L.A. TO ‘MELO, DEROZAN, GAY
WH THE CUB ROOM'S RETURN, IS NEW HOPE'S GAY BAR SCENE G BACK?
NEW HOPE - The first time Larry Melo stepped to a gay bar he didn’t know what to expect. “Even as a gay guy, my first experience out the world was so different than what I imaged would be, ” Melo relled. His , who was also gay, suggted the two grab a drk at Jan Wallman’s on Cornelia Street Greenwich Village.
“It was my first time beg a bar surround wh all gay men. Loted at the New Hope Lodge, formerly known as Motel the Woods, The Cub Room was the last gay bar standg a town that, at one time, had four bars aimed at servg the LGBTQ+ crowd, cludg The Raven, The Prelu and The Cartwheel. “It was this bohemian ltle gay town, ” Melo sce The Cub Room closed nearly three years ago, New Hope has been whout a venue terg specifilly to gay men.
Brgg back The Cub Room as a safe haven for the gay munyBefore The Cub Room closed, Melo was a regular patron, drawn to the relaxg feel of the place. Larry did a great job, ” Kub he enjoys gog to any type of bar, he said he feels more relaxed a bar for gay men which is why he mak the drive to The Cub Room, the clost gay bar om his home Ewg, New Jersey.
TENNIS' LAST TABOO: WHY NO OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYERS?
” Melo said he’s happy to create what he hop will be “a safe haven for the gay muny. As Jamie Murray puts : "We have players om all over the world, all different cultur, many walks of life" yet spe of the multiculturalism, there is still one great anomaly at the heart of the men's game: the absence of any openly gay players.
In almost 150 years of beg an anised sport, only two openly gay men have ever played at ele level, both of whom peted primarily before World War II - multiple grand-slam champn Gottied von Cramm who was arrted for homosexualy Nazi Germany, and the Amerin 10-time major wner Bill Tiln. A third gay player, Ameri's former world No.
Vahaly revealed last Augt that a handful of profsnal players, and about 30 at junr and llege level, had told him privately that they were gay, but had opted agast gog Vahaly actn at the Atralian Open Viki LasrisVahaly is sure there are many more, and wants to create as welg an environment as possible to help them e out, should they want to.
THIS GAY LLEGE ACH HAS FOUND ACCEPTANCE AND SUCCS NSERVATIVE AMERI
They are, he believ, "sred" of revealg their te the absence of LGBT trailblazers such as Billie Jean Kg and Marta Navratilova the women's game - and more recent openly gay players, such as Belgium's Alison Van Uytvanck - Vahaly looks to have his work cut out. Bee the qutn is not whether there are more gay male players, but why there is still a taboo around realy is that homosexualy men's tennis will be most discsed this year relatn to Margaret Court, the 24-time grand-slam, a Pentestal mister, regularly nounc homosexuals, but the send-biggt arena at the Atralian Open still bears her name, spe pleas om Kg and others to rebrand tennis player and current Pentestal mister Margaret Court, who has been volly AAPAcrdg to the players themselv, men's tennis has never been more welg.
Neher would a gay player have to fear beg mercially ostracised, which was a nsiratn for Vahaly. And yet, spe of this supposedly hospable climate, tennis' wa for a first openly gay active male player sce the 1940s ntu.
"The locker room uldn't be a more homophobic place, " he said. "We're not gay-bashg.
CARMELO ANTHONY A LAKER? REPORTS LK L.A. TO ‘MELO, DEROZAN, GAY
"Vahaly endors that view - he says he heard homophobic ments "all the time" this perd - and while there is ltle doubt that locker room attus have sce bee more progrsive, there are isolated cints that give pse for thought.
"I don't thk 's gog to be easy bee there is so much homophobia, " he is also a more subtle lack of unrstandg om some players that helps to expla why a player might feel unfortable g out. While Herbert and I spoke, his doubl partner Nilas Mahut twice ma jok about the pair beg a gay uple.
Other doubl players, such as Colombia's Robert Farah, ma siar jok that were not necsarily homophobic tent but seemed to e more om a place of was also cur to hear how many players said they would wele a gay player, but only if they showed "rpect". The former Wimbledon doubl champn, Marcelo Melo, for stance, said: "If they keep rpect wh the players, I'm not gog to stop talkg to someone who says they're gay.