Author: Brett

http://news.pba.com/post/2011/05/19/PBA-Rookie-of-the-Year-Scott-Norton-Being-gay-doesne28099t-define-who-I-am-as-a-person-or-as-a-professional-athlete.aspx

 

On May 15, Phoenix Suns CEO and President Rick Welts announced publicly that he is gay. That announcement was important to me because he is someone who is actively involved in professional sports and has publicly acknowledged his sexuality. While many athletes wait until they retire to officially come out, the fact that Mr. Welts has the courage to do so while still actively involved with the NBA has encouraged me to also acknowledge that I am a gay athlete.

It is extremely important for me to come out to show other gay athletes, both current and future, that it is important to come out to show that we are just like everyone else. Being gay doesn’t define who I am as a person or as a professional athlete. I’m also a professional bowler, lawyer, caring, compassionate, strong, and many other things.

Last month, in a Midtown office adorned with sports memorabilia, two longtime friends met for a private talk. David Stern, the commissioner of the National Basketball Association, sipped his morning coffee, expecting to be asked for career advice. Across from him sat Rick Welts, the president and chief executive of the Phoenix Suns, who had come to New York not to discuss careers, but to say, finally, I am gay.

http://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/WNBA-star-becomes-only-openly-gay-player-active-1186038.php

Three-time Olympic gold medalist. Three-time Most Valuable Player in the WNBA. And, as of Wednesday, the only openly gay athlete to currently play a major professional team sport.

Many people said Sheryl Swoopes‘ announcement that she is gay was a non-story — either because her sexuality shouldn’t matter or because she is far from a household name. But the Houston Comets star, perhaps the best woman to ever work the hardwoods, is in a public club of one. And that has made her revelation a landmark.

http://www.afterelton.com/people/will-sheridan-gay

When it rains, it pours!

Yesterday, Phoenix Suns president and CEO Rick Welts came out as gay — following a number of other athletes who have recently spoken up for GLBT equality, even as other sports professionalshave spoken out against it.

Today, former college basketball player Will Sheridan came out as gay in an article on ESPN.com. In the article, he talks about how his sexual orientation was widely known among his teammates — and how he was sometimes bullied by opposing teams.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2757105

In a groundbreaking revelation that began to reverberate around the NBA on Wednesday, former player John Amaechi has become the first professional basketball player to openly identify himself as gay.

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/06/no-strikeout–.html

At last, Billy Bean feels comfortable with his teammates.

Every Sunday morning, the San Diego Padres outfielder who quit pro baseball and came out of the closet, hits the basketball courts at Nautilus Middle School in Miami Beach.

Bean‘s basketball buddies say it’s no big deal that he’s gay. “About half the people here know – the other half wouldn’t care, ” said teammate Wayne Pathman, a Miami lawyer. “Billy‘s a great guy.

http://outsports.com/jocktalkblog/2011/11/09/glsens-changing-the-game-with-inclusion-of-national-association-for-sport-and-physical-education/

We can’t say enough about the work being done by GLSEN’S Changing the Gameproject. While so many other organizations preach to the choir or hope the voices of celebrities do the talking for us, Pat Griffin and her crew are taking the message of inclusion where it counts. The latest is the announcement that the National Association for Sport and Physical Education has become a Changing the Game Teammate for Respect.

http://www.widerights.com/?tag=think-before-you-speak

Just a few hours before the now infamous Kobe Bryant “f**king f**got” game, Phoenix Sun stars Grant Hill andJared Dudley were recording a public service announcement for the Think Before You Speak campaign.

The campaign is a joint project from GLSEN, the Ad Council, and the NBA to address homophobic speech.  The campaign recognizes that phrases and terms like “so gay” and “fag” have become commonplace in everyday speech, and while most do not mean to use them with homophobic intentions, it needs to stop.

http://www.advocate.com/printarticle.aspx?id=106392

 

As New Orleans Saints linebacker Scott Fujita gears up for Super Bowl XLIV, Fujita talks to The Advocate about standing up for gay rights and against inequality, and about Tim Tebow’s draft prospects thanks to Focus on the Family.

Scott Fujita is known for many things — being a “big white guy with the Japanese last name.” as he says; his dedication to charities and community service; and, more recently, his unapologetic views on gay rights.

Fujita was adopted as a child by his Japanese father and white mother, and he grew up in Southern California. Even though he is not ethnically Japanese, Fujita says he is Japanese in his heart. After a standout student-athlete career in high school, Fujita was recruited by the Ivies but decided to play for the University of California, Berkeley, as a walk-on player.

http://goodmenproject.com/newsroom/anton-hysen-europes-highest-profile-openly-gay-soccer-player/

Anton Hysen, a 20-year-old professional soccer player in Sweden, came out in an interview with Sweden’s Offside magazine.

Hysen is the son of famed Swedish player Glenn Hysen, a former defender for Liverpool FC and Anton’s current coach at Utsiktens BK of the Swedish second division. Both of his brothers are professional soccer players as well.

Hysen told Offside:

I want to prove that there is no big deal if I’m a footballer and also gay. If I perform as a footballer, then I do not think it matters if I like men or women.