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

Contents:

• A NVERSATN WH T.J. CALLAN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF GAY BLACK MEN G OUT SPORTS
• KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY
• GAY, BLACK TRACK ATHLETE HAD CHARACTER AND ROLVE TTED AT UNIVERSY OF WASHGTON
• TOP 10 ATHLET WHO ARE RUMORED TO BE GAY
• IN POWERFUL REBE OF HATE, JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN MAK HISTORY G OUT AS GAY
• ATHLET WHO ARE GAY
• WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS
• BLACK AND GAY SPORTS
• GAY ATHLET

A NVERSATN WH T.J. CALLAN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF GAY BLACK MEN G OUT SPORTS

Callan, 22, left the Miami program after experiencg what he scribed as a hostile environment, where gay people were spoken of rogatory terms, ultimately keepg him the closet.

Outsports recently spoke wh Callan about how the history of black athlet g out, and specifilly black gay men, has been particularly meangful to him. Two proment exampl whose g out announcements had an impact beyond sports are Jason Colls, the first NBA player to e out 2013, and Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted the NFL 2014.

”A person of lor has to al wh not only beg gay, but beg black, and then beg black and gay, ” Callan said. In addn, Callan says gay black men often al wh what he lls the hypermasculy black culture.

KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

Further, Callan says that as a black man the larger gay culture “you do experience racism wh the gay muny. As an example of the latter, he relled meetg one whe gay man who told Callan, “‘I thought you were gonna be ghetto, you’re not, ’ and I’m like, ‘What are you talkg about? And you would thk that a lot of gay men would unrstand and empathize wh the fact that you are a part of multiple margalized muni, but a lot of s, there is a lack of unrstandg.

He also appreciated as a football player that someone like Sam uld e out what is nsired a hypermascule sport bee challenged the ia and stereotyp lkg beg gay to “beg weak. “I felt very secure about [beg gay] and I feel like maybe they picked up on bee I didn’t want to speak about . Sce g out, Callan says he has received nothg but posive ments and support, and says his only regret durg his llege years was not havg other active gay football players he uld reach out to.

GAY, BLACK TRACK ATHLETE HAD CHARACTER AND ROLVE TTED AT UNIVERSY OF WASHGTON

Atralian A-League soccer star Josh Cavallo me out as gay an October vio posted to his social media, beg hailed as the first current male top-flight profsnal soccer player to publicly do so. "He ntued: "Growg up I always felt the need to hi myself, you know, bee I was ashamed, and ashamed I'll never be able to do what I love and be gay. In a September terview wh USA Today, 25-year-old mor league baseball player beme the only active baseball profsnal to be out as gay!

Natnal Hockey League prospect Le Prokop me out as gay July, the first active player the league to e out.

TOP 10 ATHLET WHO ARE RUMORED TO BE GAY

"I am proud to publicly tell everyone that I am gay, " he wrote a heartfelt msage on social media. The 28-year-old Natnal Football League player and Rairs fensive leman ma history when he me out as gay on Instagram durg Pri Month, beg the first veteran NFL player to e out as gay while signed to a regular-season ntract.

IN POWERFUL REBE OF HATE, JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN MAK HISTORY G OUT AS GAY

The Bachelor star and former football player (who was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted ee agent and was on the practice squad of the Oakland Rairs and the Philalphia Eagl) me out as gay April, sayg he had fally e to terms wh his sexualy and the "next step all of this was sort of lettg people know. "He wanted everyone to know he was "still the same Colton everybody met on TV" and is "proud to be gay. Hiltz had prevly e out as gay while llege and has been a visible and affirmg prence for gay athlet the past.

Corey Walsh, the 27-year-old pro BMX rir and Vans spokperson, said he isn't normally the type of person to "let people " on his personal life, but felt was important to e out as gay a March Instagram post bee "there are a lot of people still stgglg wh the same suatns" and he "jt wanted to let people know that they are not alone. Champn long track speedskater Conor McDermott-Mostowy never hid beg gay om his fay, iends, and fellow athlet, but he also wasn't one to rate his locker wh rabow Pri flags eher. He ially feared negative stereotyp about gay male athlet but threw those ncerns asi after his two-tle performance at the U.

ATHLET WHO ARE GAY

He publicly me out as gay 2013, beg the first openly gay athlete to play any of the four major U.

In 2013, Colls was clud the first class of ducte to the Natnal Gay and Lbian Sports Hall of Fame. In 2014, Fox was one of fifteen LGBTQ athlet ducted to the Natnal Gay and Lbian Sports Hall of Fame. Layshia Clarendon, a “biracial, black, gay, female, genrqueer and Christian” WBNA basketball player for the Atlanta Dream, has proven to be a formidable force both on and off the urt.

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

John Amaechi, who shared his g out story a vio for HRC, is the first former NBA player to publicly e out as gay. Amaechi has been an outspoken cric of homophobia sports, and works to promote an clive and open environment for LGBTQ basketball players across the U.

BLACK AND GAY SPORTS

Amaechi was ducted to the Natnal Gay and Lbian Sports Hall of Fame 2014, the same year as Fallon Fox. Wa Davis II, a former NFL rnerback, me out as openly gay 2012, ne years after his profsnal football reer end.

There has been long-held speculatn that people the black muny are on average more homophobic than other mographics. TJ Graham, Wi receiver, New York JetsGraham talked about his acceptance not jt of potential gay teammat, but of gay iends and s. Ahman Green, Runng back, Green Bay PackersGreen had never talked publicly about havg a lbian sister and a gay brother until he chatted wh me at an NFLPA event 2012.

DeAndre Hopks, Wi receiver, Hoton TexansHopks talked about his lbian sister wh Outsports a uple years ago, revealg one of his bt iends was the ex-boyiend of Calv Kle and that he would wele a gay teammate.

GAY ATHLET

Michael Irv, Hall of Fame wi receiver, Dallas CowboysWhen Irv graced the ver of Out magaze 2011, he did so to show support for the gay muny and to talk for the first time about his love for his late gay brother, Vghn. Jevon Kearse, fensive end, Tennsee Tans & Philalphia Eagl"The Freak, " as he was known, shared his love of his gay for the first time on the same day Green talked about his siblgs. Karl Malone, forward, Utah JazzMalone talked supportively about his gay brother--law when Jason Colls me out.

Isiah Thomas, Hall of Fame guard, Detro PistonsThomas appeared a NOH8 mpaign photo wh his gay son, Zeke, who was the official DJ of the 2014 NBA All-Star game. When Kansas State offensive tackle and NFL hopeful Stt Frantz me out to the natn as gay last week, he shared that his teammat, to whom he'd e out earlier, had warmly received the news, a sign the most alpha of locker rooms may fally be ready for equaly. So, wh two gay players takg the field the top tier of llege football this season, has the future fally charged onto the turf?

Here's a list of players llege and pro ball who have proved you n be gay or bi and still n the KopayRunng back Dave Kopay, who signed wh the San Francis 49ers 1964, would play for five teams before hangg up his jersey 1972. Coach Vce Lombardi had apparently nfid Smh that he knew of his sexualy but would never let impact him negatively; Lombardi's brother was also gay. Yet he nspicuoly has never been ducted to the NFL Hall of SimmonsRoy "Sugar Bear" Simmons, an offensive leman for the New York Giants and Washgton Redsks, beme the send NFL player ever to publicly reveal he was gay.