Homophobia in sports :: the search for a gay quarterback
Grassroots changes
Grassroots change
Buzinski acknowledged he felt even a decade from now would create an entirely different scenario for gay athletes. He sees the trend of gays and lesbians coming out at earlier ages - often in their early teens - as something that will also affect athletes.
Anderson agreed. While he previously had a hard time seeking out gay athletes to speak with, many athletes contact him now. In recent months he’s heard from athletes in the unlikeliest of settings, including an out football player in a deep Southern university and an out soccer player at a Catholic university in the Midwest.
"Changes are happening at the lower levels of sports where it is becoming incredibly less homophobic," Anderson said. "And at those levels, where it counts, athletes are coming out and having a good time without incident."
Athletes coming out at the collegiate and high school levels are also finding more resources to support them, a major change from even a decade ago. The National Center for Lesbian Rights, which launched a sports program in 2002, has become a particularly active organization on the issue. The program, headed by former North Carolina women’s basketball coach Helen Carroll, provides advocacy for athletes and educates coaches and administrators.
Carroll pointed to a combination of education, gay-supportive policies in athletic programs and litigation when problems arise as key components of a system to foster a less homophobic environment for athletes everywhere. She feels activists on the issue are making progress.
"Athletes and coaches alike need a support system. They need to know there is a place they can go for help if something happens," Carroll said. "We are seeing more and more young student-athletes come out and have their teammates support them, so this is an excellent time for the leadership to catch up."
Keeping it in the closet
Still, it is clear much work needs to be done. Carroll said she regularly consults with gay and lesbian athletes who’ve been pushed to the sidelines.
Bennett Klein, a senior attorney with Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), said the case of the openly gay, accepted athlete is the exception to the rule. His organization recently initiated a survey project to collect the stories of gay athletes.
"The vast majority of athletes are still in environments where they fear the consequences of coming out, and therefore remain hidden and silent. Progress is happening but it is slow," Klein told EDGE.
Klein sees the issue of homophobia in sports as one largely overlooked by LGBT activists. He feels it is an important issue to address, whether or not one is personally interested in the world of sports, given its prevalence in America’s culture.
"I think there’s been a really glaring omission in not challenging discrimination and homophobia in athletics," Klein said. "Professional athletes, in particular, are role models for so many young people that if we can make breakthroughs in sports, the ripple effect in larger society will advance the understanding of LGBT people in every realm."
Buzinski agrees.
"It’s important to show society that gay people are everywhere and that sports is not some isolated island that is exclusively heterosexual," he said. "If we had an openly gay NFL quarterback, he’d be in the homes of millions every week and that would have a tremendous impact."
But it may still be some time before we see our gay quarterback. Whether or not a gay hero will save the sports world from homophobia, the topic remains a "wait-and-see" for, as Hardin suggests:
"When these athletes feel safe and are no longer afraid to come out, they’ll come out."
And until then, this is really all speculation.`
