The London Olympic Games begin in a little over a week so,
of course, speculation begins about the number of openly LGBT athletes will be
competing. This Advocate article
identifies a handful of openly lesbian and gay athletes who will be competing
and I am sure this number will increase as we get closer to the opening
ceremonies. This number has topped out
around 13-14 openly LGBT athletes in past Olympics and I hope that number will
increase in London. Though the number of openly LGBT athletes is a small
percentage of the thousands of athletes who will competing in London, it is
safe to assume that there are many other LGBT athletes who will competing from
the closet.
Apparently, a heterosexual married couple who are on the
Australian shooting team believe that there are huge numbers of same-sex
couples who will rooming together in the Olympic village. They claim that they are being discriminated
against because, as heterosexuals, they are not allowed to room together in the
athletes’ village and are making a big deal out of it. Please.
Is this really how they want to spend their time preparing for their
competition? Is this how they are making their mark on the London games?
Like the Vancouver Olympics there will be a Pride House in
London open to all athletes and other visitors. Pride House is not sponsored by
the Olympics, but by a local group as was true in Vancouver. Nonetheless it
does provide some LGBT visibility at an international sporting event.
Why does it matter if athletes come out publicly or if there
is a Pride House at the Olympics? It’s about visibility and role models. It’s
about athletes not needing to spend energy hiding and keeping secrets and using
that energy to focus on the competition. It’s about being honest with teammates
and true to yourself. It’s about sending
a message to young LGBT athletes that the world is changing and their future in
sports looks better and better.
Oh, and
that Aussie couple? Instead of crabbing about sleeping arrangements, they should
count the many other privileges they have as married heterosexuals and stick to
trying to shoot straight.
What's the deal? You and the gay crew can constantly bitch and complain about perceived slights but if a hetero couple calls you goofs and your PC babysitters out for receiving preferential treatment you tell them to get over it? Nice double standard.
ReplyDeleteYour assumption that everyone is becoming cool with out LGBT athletes and coaches is typical of your strategy to manufacture facts to fit your imagined perfect LGBT future.
If you'd like to test your theory I suggest you convince the WNBA bosses and team owners to publish the fact that at least 30% to 40% of their ballers are lesbians and watch how fast the league closes down. It's only due to the general ignorance of the typical straight woman's bb fan that this isn't common knowledge already. So knock yourself out and have the entire gay sisterhood come out. Then women's pro basketball will be in the same shape as women's pro soccer and you will have earned it all on your own.
Here's a newsflash for you, the majority of sports fans aren't interested in you leveraging sports to promote your sexual dysfunction. Keep your sexual problems to yourselves and quit trying to normalize you and your girlfriend's confusion around your sexual identity. People aren't buying it.
Pat, I love reading your blog and would enjoy reading comments that are respectful. That includes being respectful of you! Can you please consider a policy on the negative comments? Speak freely but speak respectfully. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteToo much truth for you also?
ReplyDeleteumm they're at one of the most stressful events of their life, why shouldn't they be allowed to room together instead of being treated like children?
ReplyDeletesaying they shouldn't complain is like saying they shouldn't complain if an opponent cheats against them, because they're so lucky to have made it to the Olympics already.
in fact, their success in getting a change would be a good thing for gay athletes at the Olympics - they could now feel more comfortable about being out in a relationship with a teammate because people can't titter about their sleeping arrangements and how they are rorting the system or whatever.
Not sure who is funnier, the Aussie couple, Pat's blogpost, or comments.
ReplyDeleteThe Olympics are almost upon us. The correct response should be “Hurrah!” but that’s not how I feel at all. I am unexcited, despondent and frankly just a teeny bit scared.Last weekend, 40,000 people attended an opening ceremony at Olympic Stadium, where the Games will begin on July 27. The day before the weekend event, a newspaper smuggled a fake bomb into the Olympic site.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who doesn’t have cable and only four channels, it’s difficult to kill time when one of my channels has the Olympics on repeat all the fucking hours of the day. Sure, at 6p and 630p I have the local news then my future boyfriend Brian Williams on the NBC Nightly News, but then back on into Olympics stuff does everything go right after that. It’s exhausting for my eyes and dampening to my spirit.
ReplyDeleteRead more: http://thegloss.com/culture/whos-thrilled-the-olympics-are-coming-to-an-end-this-weekend-594/#ixzz23Kk4rI5h
The Olympics games were great but I have to admit that I didn't like the open and close ceremonies. I think that they should do something more global.
ReplyDelete