Ryan Atk: From lman to champn - first openly gay referee on experienc - BBC Sport

gay college football referee

Ser married her wife last year. Now the out gay official is a center judge the AAF.

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STEVE STRIMLG WILL OFFICIATE A NATNAL SEMIFAL, THE FIRST OUT GAY REFEREE TO DO SO

XFL center judge Amanda Ser-Cook is the first openly gay official a major natnal profsnal football league. * gay college football referee *

No doubt, Strimlg beg publicly out as a gay man mak him a trailblazer for the LGBTQ muny. For gay men who may not otherwise see the possibily of officiatg llege football, Strimlg is an spiratn.

GAY PAC-12 REFEREE HAS BEEN WH HIS PARTNER FOR 29 YEARS. NOW HE'S G OUT TO HELP OTHERS.

Steve Strimlg says beg gay has never stopped him om advancg as a football official. Now a whe hat referee the Pac-12, he wants to e out publicly to help others. * gay college football referee *

In fact, Strimlg’s choice to share his story publicly about beg a gay man officiatg stemmed om wantg to help other people.

GAY FOOTBALL REFEREE THKS ’40 PER CENT’ OF PLAYERS AND OFFICIALS ULD BE LGBTQ+

* gay college football referee *

“The articl I read about other gay people sports each say how much they helped others, ” Strimlg said at the time.

RYAN ATK: FROM LMAN TO CHAMPN - FIRST OPENLY GAY REFEREE ON EXPERIENC

FIFA's first openly gay football referee Igor Benevenuto believ that up to 40 per cent of people volved football are LGBTQ+. * gay college football referee *

But Ser-Cook is breakg new ground as the first openly gay official to work a major natnal profsnal football league, last year the short-lived Alliance of Amerin Football and this year the XFL. The head of officials for the Atlanta chapter of the Natnal Gay Flag Football League was there, heard me, and suggted I e help out on the weekends. “Sce I me out at 20, [beg gay] on the field has never been an issue, and has never been a terrent, ” he said.

[avatar er=”lewisj163″ size=”thumbnail” align=”left” /]Football Zebras wrer Josh Lewis has officiated adult flag-football leagu, cludg the Natnal Flag Football League of Atlanta, the Chigo Metropolan Sports Associatn, the New York Gay Football League, and the Natnal Gay Flag Football League. Steve Strimlg don't need you to know he's gay.

FOOTBALL REFERE OUT AS GAY TO SHOW THAT THE BETIFUL GAME IS FOR EVERYONE

Ryan Atk tells the BBC about his experienc as an openly gay match official after beg named one of Stonewall's Sport Champns. * gay college football referee *

Already on ESPN and Fox Sports every tumn Saturday, Strimlg certaly don't seek some form of notoriety as a gay referee football, Ameri's most powerful cultural stutn.

8 OPENLY GAY AND BI LLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS PLAYED SEASON ON THEIR TERMS

Sttish football otball refere Craig Napier and Lloyd Wilson have both e out as gay an effort to make the game more LGBTQ clive. * gay college football referee *

The articl I read about other gay people sports each say how much they helped others. If someone los assignments bee he's gay?

Through all, beg gay hasn't held him back om advancg as an official. "I've never thought beg gay was hard for me at all.

Take me beg gay away and I had the same good and bad thgs my life as anyone else.

OPENLY GAY PRO-FOOTBALL REFEREE AMANDA SER-COOK WILL BE PART OF DIVERSE XFL OFFICIATG CREW

For the eight openly gay or bi llege football players, beg out athlet enhanced their experienc. * gay college football referee *

Strimlg rri himself wh a ep self-nfince that has eed him om the fears drivg so many other gay people sports om sharg their te selv. "Losg those years as an official wasn't bee I was gay - It was bee I was an asshole. Still, Strimlg unrstands that his experienc - largely ee om homophobia - are partly a byproduct of livg Los Angel at a time when society's perspectiv of gay people are changg rapidly.

THERE ARE 7 OPENLY GAY OR BI LLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS THIS SEASON

Ser-Cook beme the first openly gay referee profsnal football history when she worked for the Alliance of Amerin Football last year. * gay college football referee *

Last year Outsports ran the story of a closeted gay high school and llege official Louisiana who had seen and heard btal homophobia om fans and his fellow officials. Other gay officials at some of llege's hight levels have shared wh me a fear of losg assignments if they talk about beg married to their hband. While Strimlg -- never a "Wt Hollywood, go out to the clubs kd of guy" -- has certaly heard homophobic language on the field and the locker room over the years -- "that's how guys talk" -- he personally will not tolerate other gay officials losg opportuni bee of who they are.

That's not bee Michael and I are gay.

"YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED" - FIFA'S ONLY OPENLY GAY REFEREE IGOR BENEVENUTO BELIEV 40% OF FOOTBALLERS ARE GAY OR BISEXUAL

The 7 gay or bi llege football players pete var divisns and clu a player who had a historic touchdown. * gay college football referee *

While plenty of people officiatg know about his fay, he unrstands there are still pockets of football where gay people are not pletely unrstood. Steve Strimlg is breakg more ground as an out gay football referee, this time leadg the entire group of officials for the upstart USFL. “The articl I read about other gay people sports each say how much they helped others, ” he told me at the time.

Amanda Ser has broken ground as a football official on a number of levels, and she’s the first publicly out gay referee profsnal football.

EFL REFEREE JAM ADCK: ‘I’M AN OPENLY GAY MAN FOOTBALL’

For Ser’s story, which was also wrten by out gay football official Joshua Lewis, head over to Football Zebras. FIFA’s first openly gay football referee believ that up to 40 per cent of people volved football are LGBTQ+.

Brazil’s Igor Benevenuto recently ma history by beg the first FIFA-ranked referee to e out as gay, after more than two s of hidg his tth,. Gays are ed to not beg themselv.

CRAIG NAPIER AND LLOYD WILSON: STTISH REFERE E OUT AS GAY BID TO 'CHANGE CLIMATE' FOOTBALL

“There are many gay people soccer. “Thirty to forty per cent of them are homosexual or bisexual, or have done somethg at one time wh another man.

“You would be surprised at jt who is homosexual this dtry. He said: “In Brazil homosexualy is seen as an illns siar to alholism, which n be overe. While there are many out, LGBTQ+ players the women’s game, out gay footballers are rare the men’s game.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL REFEREE

Gay football referee thks LGBTQ+ players are mon .

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