I love You Tube because I can watch international gay storylines such as the Finnish soap Secret Lives. In this gay storyline, Lari’s hockey career is over because he had a serious knee injury. Lari is slowly beginning to accept his homosexuality, but he is still not out to his father. Lari is starting to understand how important Elias is to him and that he is in love with him.
Lost in the media’s praise for Jason Collins decision to come out is the sad story that he lied to his fiance Carolyn Moos for eight years. The gay community has swept this ugly aspect of Jason Collins coming out story under the rug. The homosexual community is very hypocritical about these down low brothers like Jason Collins. One argument is, Jason Collins was lying to himself, he felt he needed to maintain a heterosexual image in order to not be ostracized in the NBA. However, why do some gay closeted men drag a woman through their drama? Why ruin someone else’s life?
Carolyn Moos was very restrained during the Piers Morgan interview she can’t be honest with her feelings of pain. If Moos was blunt about being angry at Jason Collins the gay mafia would scream she’s a homophobe. I think the gay community can’t have it both ways we want to be accepted by society yet refuse to acknowledge when a LGBT person does something wrong. Why does the gay community ignore the deception of these gay celebrities like Jason Collins? It is disgusting, sick, and sinister what Jason Collins did to his fiance their relationship was a facade to hide his homosexuality.
The gay mafia’s silence about Jason Collins deception is interesting. After all, why dirty up a good thing? I think it is pathetic, sad, and tragic that Collins lied and deceived his fiance for eight years. Think about it, eight years is a long time to hide your true sexual orientation from a fiance. Carolyn Moos had planned to get married to Jason Collins, have children together. Now, eight years of Carolyn Moos life is wasted and destroyed simply because Collins was a closet case. Why lie to a woman for eight years? Why lead someone on for such a long period of time?
Yesterday, American soccer star Robbie Rogers returned to training with the LA Galaxy. Rogers came out of the closet in February and if he does return to the MLS he will be the first openly gay soccer player in the world. The problem is, even though Rogers is a free agent,the Chicago Fire own his rights. Rogers isn’t interested in working in Chicago he wants to play for the LA Galaxy so he can be close to his family in the Southern California area. The interesting aspect of the Robbie Rogers story is, on various internet forums there is a lot of excitement people seem thrilled he might comeback. There is also no hint of homophobia at least from what I’ve read about Robbie Rogers online.
There seems to be a lot of people who truly respect this young man since he was so courageous to come out during his prime. Rogers is only twenty five, he turns twenty six later this month but he still has time to continue his successful career. Rogers retired from professional soccer because he is concerned about dealing with homophobia in the lockeroom and from fans from opposing teams. I sincerely hope Robbie Rogers does return to the MLS because just by competing he can give a lot of hope to LGBT people. I am cognizant that Rogers doesn’t want to be a gay hero he just wants to be a soccer player. Since there is a paucity of male athletes coming out in professional sports Robbie Rogers is proof a gay man can be masculine and also excel at sports.
Although the mainstream media, are trying to say NBA free agent Jason Collins coming out as a gay man is a big deal the truth is it isn’t. Jason Collins is not the gay Jackie Robinson although he is on the cover of the Sports Illustrated. When is Orlando Cruz the Puerto Rican boxer should be on the cover? Orlando Cruz came out as a gay man in late year in in the fall and he is still active in boxing. Since boxing is considered a fringe sport, Cruz isn’t getting the media attention he so rightfully deserves.
Orlando Cruz has won two professional fights since he came out of the closet last fall, so why isn’t he on the cover of the NY Times or ESPN Magazine? Why is Orlando Cruz so disrespected just because he’s a boxer?
Jason Collins coming out, might make a difference in the black community though, he shines a spotlight into the struggles gay black men experience in society. I think that’s the only thing I can really take out of Jason Collins coming out he might allow our community to have more of a dialogue about homosexuality. It does take courage for a black gay man to come out especially if the man is a professional athlete.
I am cynical because, I think the social impact is only going to really occur when a gay man comes out in a team sport while he is still active and in his prime.
When is a male sports superstar going to come out as gay like Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Amelie Mauresmo have done in women’s tennis? Navratilova, King, and Mauresmo are elite tennis champions they reached number one in the world and won multiple grand slam singles titles. Navratilova and King came out in the 1980s they lost millions of dollars in endorsements.
Amelie Mauresmo came out at the beginning of her career after she reached the Australian Open women’s final in 1999. Due to Navratilova and King’s success on the tennis court it was easier for Mauresmo to come out as a lesbian. Mauresmo retained all of her endorsements and she’s a national hero in France.
There still isn’t a professional male athlete in a team sport who is active out of the closet. Jason Collins is a journeyman, he wasn’t a great player and he’s not active he’s a free agent.
In order to smash the misconceptions about gay men in professional sports, it is going to take someone braver than Jason Collins.
It is going to take a man who is in his prime, a professional athlete, and someone who is a solid athlete.
Since, Jason Collins is thirty four years old, he waited until the end of his career to come out which is easier. Collins has nothing to lose coming out now he competed in the NBA for twelve years.
It is sad that the majority of the gay male athletes who do come out only come out always come out at the end of their professional careers. At the end of a pro athlete’s career there is less stigma to coming out and less of a risk.
There is a serious issue of homophobia in men’s professional sports given the fact nobody wants to come out while active.
Since at least 5 to 10% of the population is gay there has to be more gay men in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL who are gay but closeted. Why are these gay men still in the closet?
In the grand scheme of things, Collins is thirty four years old, he’s not on a team. Collins also waited until the end of his career to come out as a gay man. I commend Collins for having the courage to come out, but he is not the gay Jackie Robinson. The social impact that Jason Collins coming out is going to have is small. If Collins had come out maybe five years ago, while he was active in the NBA then he could have made a difference.
I am not surprised that some French people are against gay marriage. Although France is a secular country, there are some conservative elements to French society. I am glad the same sex marriage bill was approved and that marriage equality now exists in France for gay couples. Some of the arguments of conservatives are that the French family is going to decay and breakdown.
However, in Canada almost a decade ago prior to gay marriage becoming law there were similar arguments. Now almost eight years since same sex marriage became legal in Canada it isn’t a big deal anymore. Even the conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, recognizes that same sex marriage is just a part of what makes Canada a great nation. Canada was the first country in the western hemisphere to legalize gay marriage.
I think in a generation from now in France people won’t make a big deal about same sex marriage they won’t be upset about it. Consenting adults should be allowed to marry whomever a person of the same sex. Why should gay people in France be denied gay marriage when they pay taxes just like the heterosexuals? It is nice to see France moving forward and progressing towards modernity.
Ex-Raven Brendon Ayanbadejo continues to fight for same-sex marriage rights in the US.
FOX Sports
BRENDON AYANBADEJO
APR 22, 2013 2:31 PM ET
Brendon Ayanbadejo is a 10-year NFL veteran who last played with the Super Bowl XLVII champion Baltimore Ravens and is a staunch supporter of same-sex marriage rights. In August 2012, Maryland state delegate Emmett Burns Jr. wrote an open letter to Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti requesting Ayanbadejo cease and desist all public support of marriage equality after Ayanbadejo donated Ravens tickets to help fundraise for marriage equality in Maryland. A law allowing same-sex marriages in the state eventually passed in late 2012 and took effect Jan. 1.
While the equality treadmill under most of our feet is moving at a high rate of speed, I would imagine this journey is not traveling fast enough for many Americans whose lives are directly impacted by the possibility of change.
Consider tennis hall of famer Billie Jean King, who was outed in 1981 when her relationship with another woman became public, and Greg Louganis, the four-time Olympic gold medal-winning American diver, who came out some seven years after King.
With more than 55 years combined of public scrutiny of their sexuality, the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which restricts some federal marriage benefits to only opposite-sex couples, and Prop 8, California’s state law restricting same-sex marriage can’t come soon enough for these two American heroes and California residents who have forever shaped the face of their respective sports.
Yet, we still have such a long journey ahead of us. Draconian policies such as “don’t ask, don’t tell” are a thing of the past, and with the quickly approaching U.S. Supreme Court rulings on the repeal of DOMA and Prop 8 in June, it appears as if we are on the precipice of a more progressive and accepting America.
It is quite hard to fathom that, in two years, we have nearly doubled the amount of states that have legalized marriage equality. In this time, New York, Maryland, Maine and Washington have approved same-sex marriage, bringing the total number of states that allow it to nine, as well as the District of Columbia.
Equal marriage rights are on the radar for Illinois, Delaware, Rhode Island and nine other states by the end of 2014. A March 2013 FOX News poll on same-sex marriage shows that 49 percent of Americans believe in same-sex marriage while 46 percent are in opposition. Support is up 32 percent from 2003.
From the opening kickoff to the Super Bowl, the best NFL action is on FOX. See the full NFL on FOX schedule.
While LGBTQ Americans can bravely and proudly serve our country in battle and even die protecting our freedom overseas, it is still perfectly legal in 29 states, to fire someone because he or she is a part of the LGBTQ community.
LGBTQ Americans do not, under DOMA, currently have any federal rights. There are so many things wrong with this picture. And, as many of us openly support and fight for equal rights in this community, we are also left asking ourselves questions about why many who identify as LGBT or Q are still so hesitant to join the fight.
Brittney Griner came out on Thursday, saying people should “just be who you are.” But being who you are in the four major professional sports isn’t accepted.
When will a male athlete come out in the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL?
Even as it appears American pop culture is ready to accept a gay male athlete, the stratified sporting culture might not be quite as keen on the idea of our favorite NFL player scoring touchdowns on Sundays and celebrating in Chelsea (NYC) or Hillcrest (San Diego) on Sunday nights with his boys after a hard-fought victory.
I certainly wouldn’t have a problem with it.
Corporate America doesn’t, either.
It’s time to plan work and family weddings as the NFL releases the dates and times for this year’s games.
Corporate America is frothing at the mouth, waiting for a gay superstar to take the sporting culture by the reins. Companies such as Levi’s, American Airlines, Google, and Starbucks are huge money makers, but also morality moguls in corporate America, having been rated in the top LGBTQ friendly corporations.
And just like the infamous “Bo knows” marketing campaign by Nike, I could also see a sneaker and apparel giant backing a superstar athlete with a “gay is great” campaign.
Make no mistake, the LGBTQ community’s buying power is something corporate America is keeping its eye on. The overall spending power of this growing demographic is projected to be well over $2 trillion in 2013, by some estimations.
I personally have stopped patronizing all retailers that are not LGBTQ friendly. Not only are these corporations losing out on LGBTQ dollars, but also straight dollars from family and friends of the LGBTQ community.
The most important company yet to weigh in on the issue of gays in sports is the NFL itself.
The NFL is the most popular and most-watched sport in the U.S., capturing some 59 percent of the entire U.S. population as viewers. With 1,696 players on its opening day rosters, the NFL is also the largest professional sports league in North America.
The NHL has 690 players; the NBA has 450 players; and MLB has 750 players total on its 25-man rosters, for a total of 1,890 professional athletes.
The lowest estimations say that about three percent of the population at large is gay. If you extrapolate that number across these 3,586 pro athletes, that would equate to 107 or 108 professional gay athletes, with 50 or 51 of them in the NFL.
Yet to this day we still have not heard of an athlete coming out during his playing career in any of our four professional sports. The NHL has a leg up on the other three leagues because of its alliance with the “You Can Play Foundation” that supports LGBTQ athletes.
The other three leagues have a faint footprint, or none at all, in supporting or aligning with a LGBTQ organization.
What are they waiting for?
If we hope to close one of the last closets in America, I would call upon the NFL to be proactive and align with an LGBTQ organization, something that it has not done publicly yet.
When the NFL does take such action, maybe players will be more at liberty to feel not only that they can be themselves at the workplace, but also that their employer has their best interest at heart and not just the bottom line. I would even argue that profits would increase if there were a gay player on the roster. At the end of the day, I have played with several gay athletes in my tenure with the NFL. I just didn’t know it!
Kerry Rhodes’ alleged boyfriend chatted exclusively with BOSSIP to talk about his down-low relationship with the famous NFL baller….
Kerry Rhodes’ Alleged Gay Lover Talks About Secret Relationship
It shouldn’t matter if Kerry Rhodes is gay or not, but when the player came out publicly and said he wasn’t gay, he opened a Pandora’s box. Not only a pandora box but the wrath of a very scorned ex-lover.
Meet Russell “Hollywood” Simpson, the man who has been photographed boo’d up with the NFL baller who is now ready to tell his side of the story.
Bossip: So how did you meet Kerry Rhodes?
Russell: I met him at an NFL training camp. A friend of mine was up there trying to get hired as a player’s assistant and I kinda tagged along. I don’t wanna be anyone’s assistant and I basically helped my friend get to Arizona (Cardinals) to get a job. We went up the hotel suite and Kerry was up there. We talked and that was about it. I later went back to North Carolina and he called me wanting me to come back to Arizona to help manage his assistants and personal team. We started dating about 2 months after and then got in a relationship.
Bossip: What were your duties as Kerry’s boyfriend? Did his teammates know about you?
Russell: I was like his wife. I ran the household and took care of all his personal needs. If anyone needed anything from Kerry they came to me! That’s what Kerry loved about me. i didn’t take no sh*t from nobody. Kerry is kinda a dumb athlete, like a dumb jock. So, I took care of things that he didn’t understand. And yes, his teammates did know about me. It was kinda unspoken but I was at all his training camps and events. The other wives knew and loved me too. I was always there. It was no secret!
How was your sex life with Kerry? Was he top or power bottom?
*laughs* It was great! It was very passionate because we were so in love. Of course he was the top! I’m not doing all that damn work! But, we were extremely close. It was very good and he put it on me!
Hit the flip for more of the interview with Kerry’s ex-boyfriend as he talks about their relationship, the lavish gifts that was bought for him and how to tell if a NFL baller is gay.
Bossip: Did you ever encounter any other gay football players?
Russell: Well, I don’t know. All of his teammates in Arizona (Cardinals) know about me. But you would see guys with a lot of male assistants who always surrounded themselves with men but it wasn’t openly discussed. So I don’t know if they were gay but you know…
How did you feel when Kerry denied being gay? Did he reach out to you?
Yes he actually text me like “Hey baby, can you just not say anything about all this” but that’s what I don’t like. He’s lying because he’s trying to protect his free agency. He’s not going to be one of those guys who come out in the league because he cares too much about that. But why is he lying?? LOOK AT THE PICS!! He loved me and now he’s lying. That’s why I put him out there because he came for me. I’m not here for fame. He wanted me to have a reality show because he said I was destined for it. His teammates said I had a great personality and encouraged me to be on TV. This was our life! This was real!
I had an engagement ring he gave me. Look at some of the pics and I am wearing a promise ring he gave me. We were in love and it was real. But now look at him! He’s lying and looking like a real dumbazz. Why couldn’t he just STFU and no even said anything. He had to deny it like I wasn’t real. Like, I never existed. What the hell?? We filmed that reality show together, he has hours of footage of me and him together for the show. I have NOTHING to hide! I’m grown as hell and have nothing lie about.
Kerry Rhodes is gay. That’s the truth.
Last night, the American gossip website Mediatakeout splashed the provactive pics of NFL player Kerry Rhodes embracing his male assistant. Immediately, people began speculating if Rhodes is the first gay NFL player to come out. However, Rhodes told TMZ he is not gay as he attempted to squash the gay rumours. The fact that Rhodes felt the need to announce his heterosexuality is not surprising. The problem is the intense media attention about this elusive gay male athlete means the general public is now paying close attention ttrying to figure out who these gay athletes are. This just puts even more pressure on the closeted athletes to remain in the closet.
Although the mainstream North American media want a gay male athlete from the NFL, NHL, NBA, or MLB to come out I am not sure if it is going to happen. There are numerous arguments as to why a top male athlete has not come out. The gay community is also to blame because we place so much of our expectations on gay celebrities. We forget that gay celebrities are also people they have flaws, they aren’t perfect, yet we expect them to live up to our impossible unrealistic standards.
For instance, Robbie Rogers the young American soccer player came out as gay a few months ago on his blog. However, on Queerty, Towelroad, and other gay blogs Rogers was attacked and called a coward because he refused to be the gay Jackie Robinson. Rogers told The Guardian, and the New York Times that there is a pack mentality in the sports lockerooms. The heterosexual men use gay slurs, and make jokes about homosexuals. Rogers doesn’t want to deal with the homophobia and I can’t blame the man. Who would want to be subjected to abuse? Rogers is also worried about fans in soccer giving him a hard time when he is competing. This is probably going to happen if a gay man does come out in the NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB. When the first gay male athlete comes out it is going to be a mixed response. Some people are going to be supportive while others are going to be homophobic.
Meanwhile, female athletes are already coming out and declaring they are lesbians yet they are treated with such disregard and disrespect. In Nigeria, there is new controversy that their soccer Federation is screening out lesbian athletes from joining the women’s soccer team. In North America, lesbian athletes and coaches in women’s basketball also experience discrimination.
Last year, Megan Rapinoe a top American female soccer player came out declaring she is a lesbian yet there was hardly any media attention. Rapinoe brave decision to come out was treated like an afterthought, as though it didn’t matter. Why are courageous lesbian athletes treated with such disdain as though they don’t matter? Rapinoe’s decision to come out is amazing, she’s not afraid of speaking out about homophobia in sports but because she’s a woman she’s treated as inferior by the sports media.
The misogyny of the mainstream sports media is often ignored about the struggles and contributions of lesbian athletes. In professional tennis the only players coming out are the lesbians not the gay men. In modern tennis history numerous lesbians have come out such as Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Amelie Mauresmo, Renee Stubbs, Gigi Fernandez, Conchita Martinez, and Lisa Raymond. Lesbians are treated with respect on the WTA Tour. However, on the ATP men’s tennis tour no gay man has come out since Bill Tidlen in the 1920s.
Even though, professional tennis is an individual sport the gay male tennis players on the ATP Tour are not coming out. The question remains why?
The unknown is a barrier for the gay male athletes, nobody knows what the reaction of sponsors, agents, media, fans, are going to be. Since nobody wants to take the first step to come out the closet door remains firmly shut. The internet is also a lightning rod of homophobia in the fan forums such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports the homophobia is intense. The
core message of the homophobes online is they want a don’t don’t tell policy to remain intact. The homophobes believe if a gay male athlete comes out he’s being selfish, taking attention away from the team and coming out in order to obtain media attention. This argument is weak because homosexuality is still viewed as being private while heterosexuality is treated as public in society. Heterosexual male athletes broadcast their girlfriends, wives, children, talk about their marriages, their love lives to the media. Meanwhile, the gay male athletes have to hide their sexual orientation in order to maintain the peace.
The homophobic comments on blogs are adamant they will not accept a gay male athlete. This homophobia online is often ignored in the press. The subliminal message is masculinty and homosexuality are like oil and water they don’t mix. A gay male athlete would challenge the homophobia that a gay man cannot be masculine and cannot excel in professional sports.
The closeted gay male athletes of course, read the sports websites, they know some sports fans are homophobic and this is probably one of the reasons they remain in the closet.
Another point to consider is, maybe these gay male athletes don’t want to be the gay Jackie Robinson? Maybe, these gay male athletes don’t want the intense media and public attention? Think about it, a gay man who is closeted can live his life discreetly he can date whomever he wants, and nobody knows.
It is interesting that the gay activism in the NFL have been the heterosexual allies such as Chris Kluwe and Brendan Ayanbadjeo. Ayanbadjeo was criticized by the gay media when he announced last week that up to four gay NFL players might come out at the same time. I believe the gay media attacking Ayanbadjeo is counterproductive because he has been very passionate and vocal about gay rights. Ayanbadjeo didn’t have to speak out about homophobia in the NFL he could have kept his mouth closed and followed the status quo.
Sometimes the gay community we are our own worse enemy. I think the gay male athletes are cognizant that if they do come out the gay community is going to put so much pressure on these men to become gay activists. Robbie Rogers has already illustrated that it isn’t fair to expect so much from a gay male athlete. All these guys want to do is compete, play sports, make their money and be the best they can be. The media, the gay community, and the general public need to dial down their expectations of gay athletes.
Wow, this video brings tears to my eyes, it is so wonderful to see a young gay black couple in love! This wedding is going to open the minds of people across the globe. I also believe this wedding will hopefully start a dialogue in the black community about homosexuality. Gay marriage is legal in South Africa and I think this wedding is symbolic to show South Africa is progressing. Yes, gays and lesbians in South Africa still encounter discrimination, but this wedding illustrates more African people are accepting homosexuality.
