Vlog: LGBT Leaders In Sport, Where Are They?

This is my first vlog..enjoy!

The LGBT Sports Coalition: A Revolution?

Money, money, money. That is what drives this world round, right? Even in the nonprofit world organizations aren't really seeking a "no profit" scenario, one because it financially is not feasible, and two because everyone wants to do more, accomplish goals and create real change - yes, that requires money. The case is no different with LGBT nonprofits working to affect policy in the sports world.

The LGBT Sports Coalition was formed at the Nike LGBT Sports Summit in the summer of 2013. It comprises multiple nonprofits working with collegiate and/or professional sports teams, colleges, leagues, athletes, coaches and fans. Some of the major players include You Can Play Project, Go! Athletes, Athlete Ally, CampusPride, and OutSports. All have similar missions with varying tactics for achieving equality and inclusion in athletics.

What keeps this roundtable turning? Money. The happy face shows when we as supporters of sport realize that real organizations are dedicating pioneering work, time and effort to changing the historically discriminatory sporting world. The sad face quickly arises though when the internal dynamics of the Coalition are examined. Every single organization is fighting like underdogs in a boxing match. They all want the money. For nonprofits, the dollar bills come in the form of foundation grants, educational contracts with major leagues for diversity training and corporate partnerships based on popularity and celebrity endorsement of the nonprofit. Nike just gave $200K to the Coalition. How will it be divided? Sounds complicated, no?

Well it is. The image of placid, kind and benevolent nonprofits quickly has transformed into an MMA fighter who is seeking revenge against his most hated opponent. The LGBT Sports Coalition is basically a boxing ring full of sweat and blood. So what next? Time will tell, but many claim the strong will win and the weak fail. Does it have to be that only one organization can educate and train the sporting world on diversity guidelines? Are we as constituents of the sporting world so darn competitive that we cannot see the purpose in working together rather than apart?

There is nothing wrong with the pursuit of a mission and success, but when it comes to actually trying to change the world, it may be smart to be united. Learn from each other, share the funding and resources and listen to the voices of the leader pool. If not, someone is going to lose the boxing match real soon, and it may be everyone thats part of it.

The Sochi Debacle: LGBT Intolerance

"No gay propaganda allowed". "We don't really approve of nor like gay people at all." This is basically what the Russian government has been perpetrating leading up to the Sochi Olympics this winter. Yes, in 2014, Olympians from around the world will be subject to hate, discrimination, exclusion and bigotry on one of the world's most diverse stages..Remind me, how did this happen?

Unfortunately, still, in the 21st Century, LGBT people are having to fight for a level playing field on perhaps the most competitive sports stage known to man or woman: the Olympics. Aren't the Olympic rings multiple colors to represent a variety of nations, experiences, ethnic backgrounds, cultures...and umm identities? Isn't the point of the Olympics to bring together the many colors of the sporting world to compete on the same playing surface, and may the best man, women or gender queer person win?

Sochi is not only the fault of the hateful and antiquated Russian government, but moreover that of the International Olympic Committee. After all, the IOC is the governing organization that selects host cities for the Winter Games, and ensures that the Olympic Charter is upheld. So what about Principle 6, which states: "Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympics Movement." Well it certainly doesn't explicitly state sexual orientation, but we can assume that is a pretty obvious form of exclusion that still exists. So IOC, what's the deal? Not playing by your own rules?

It's time to step up and demand better. Many solutions have been proposed including an outright protest from pluralistic countries like the United States; however, not showing up will let the haters win. Organizations like Athlete Ally and others have a more peaceful and meaningful approach. Wear symbols that celebrate LGBT diversity. In ways that do not violate the law, let the Russian government know that sports welcome all people. Make them so uncomfortable that they have to realize they are the minority and human rights advocates are the majority. Equality is not something the world will comprise anymore. Wake up Russia and IOC, intolerance is completely intolerable.

Being an Ally..Wait, What?

The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Educational Network, better known as GLSEN is promoting its annual #allyweek starting October 21. The organization is encouraging people everywhere whether straight, gay, lesbian, trans, etc. to stand in solidarity and be an ally. Twitter hashtags are popping up everywhere including #allyweek #allypride #LGBTally. It's all great PR right? But what is an ally? Could a regular person off the street tell you what an ally was in an LGBT context? Can gay people be allies?

The issues we find in sports is that the term "ally" has spread like wildfire. Organizations have been founded on this platform, such as Athlete Ally, an international nonprofit working to eradicate homophobia and transphobia in sport. Teams, leagues and major sports icons are encouraging everyone to sign petitions, speak out via social media and verbally commit to being an ally. Again though, where does all this promise go? What is it achieving? AND what is an ally?!

An ally, by many standards, can be anyone whether heterosexual, homosexual, or whateversexual. Being an ally doesn't have to fit into a certain shape or color. Being an ally is a symbol of unwavering support for equality and human rights. Of course, allyship has been coined in relation to LGBT lives and journeys. Therefore, being an ally today signifies uniting for inclusion of LGBT people in a variety of spectrums, including sport. In fact, most of the advancement we have seen in sport regarding welcoming communities could have not been achieved had it not been for allyship and an environment that celebrates diversity.

The next step has to be action. Content drives action as often discussed by public relations practitioners. Well we aren't running a PR campaign or firm per say, but to make sports, both at the pro and collegiate level, a more accepting sphere, allies need to take action. That can be as little as a tweet sent to 20K followers, or as big as expressing verbal support for LGBT athletes in an ESPN interview. Whatever it is, the action must go beyond hiding your name on a petition. Especially if athletes are high profile, their status should be used to help achieve a level playing field on a visible stage. Once this happens, everyone involved in sport will have a clear and evident illustration of what it truly means to be an ally.

Advancing LGBT Athletics Through Women's Sports

It has taken too long, way too long. Opportunities in women's sports has seen expotential growth over the past 30-40 years with legislation such as Title IX affecting major colleges and universities, and leagues and tours seeing their inaugural seasons blossom such as with the Women's Tennis Tour, WNBA, and NWSL. All have given rise to a greater sense of gender equity in sport, but have not nearly reached the equality ticker that should exist on both sides of the spectrum. What the birth of women's sports has also offered are opportunities for LGBT athletes to be themselves.

Before Title IX came to be, only 1-in-27 high school girls participated in athletics. Females in college athletic departments nationwide received only 2% of overall departmental funding. Well, many would say that is a severe breach of equality, and yes it surely was. It is getting better, but STILL male sports receive the majority of funding in NCAA Division I athletic departments. The WNBA is perhaps the leading professional women's sports league in terms of popularity and notiriety, but still lags far behind its male counterpart in the NBA in the forms of sponsorshop dollars, attendance, salaries and media coverage. As Tamika Catchings describes, the difference between one biological chromosome can mean a $20 million pay differential.

Ok, yes there are still inequities between women's and men's athletics, but there also has been a huge road towards positive growth and acceptance. Now, lesbian athletes can be more proud and open about their sexual identity than ever before. Women are seen as strong, motivated and successful rather than the dainty, weak and domesticated. Heck, the first female in a major sport to come out did not have to wait until 2013, as it did for Jason Collins of the NBA.

Also, transgender athletes now have a home if transitioning from male-to-female. Where would they have gone previously if women's intercollegiate athletics did not exist or the WNBA or National Women's Soccer League were mere ghosts? Nowhere is the answer, and now transgender peoples can contiunue to succeed on the athletic stage.

Even for gay males, women's leagues have helped demand a sports environment that accepts diversity. If gender barriers were broken, certainly sexual orientation and gender expression ones can be eradicated as well. Women's sports have done much more for LGBT athletes than most will ever be aware of. Applause well deserved.

The Gender Queen: Billie Jean King’s Queerty

Today it hones a very different significance than it did back then. Back in the 1970’s, when Billie Jean King coerced the founding of the first-ever professional women’s tennis tour, “queer” was used to allow LGBT people to gain ownership of their identity. They were different and even straight people who were quirky, odd or apart from mainstream society were a bit queer. Today queer has taken on the all-encompassing meaning that shades every letter of the gay alphabet from L-B-G-T-Q-I-A, etc. She may not have claimed to be the gender defining queen, but what Billie Jean King did for gender in sports was pioneering, miraculous and revolutionary.

She wanted women to own their gender identity. Be themselves, masculine or feminine. Be the female tennis players that weren’t afraid to play hard, sweat and share the court with their male counterparts. Not only was her style of play jaw-dropping and incredible, but her determination to demand gender equity in professional tennis was even more trailblazing.

First it was the launch of a women’s tour, sponsored by none other than Virginia Slims. Although this may have initially idealized women as non-sporty gentle beings, Billie Jean and her comrades quickly symbolized what it meant to be a Virginia Slims woman. They were feisty, embattled and motivated to show the world what they were cable of. She wanted women to own their personalities on and off the court – to be themselves, or to be queer.

Next, it was taking on the infamous Bobby Riggs in 1973. And yes, she beat him. That may have been the Mount Everest that King needed to climb in order to define what gender equality truly meant in the 70’s. Something that women had never had before, something that was queer.

Today, King has the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center named in her honor in NYC and is an International Tennis Hall of Famer. Without a doubt though, her greatest feat was paving the way for anyone who was queer in sports. Today, LGBT athletes can thank Billie Jean for being the first to step forward and say, yes I am different and it is ok to be who I am. Oh yeah, and she happens to be an out lesbian as well. But for Billie Jean, being queer was much more than her sexual orientation.

Embracing Stereotypes: Lesbians Moving The Ticker Forward

"She must be one. Oh yeah, her too. And her. She's so good at sports, she's got to be a lesbian." Historically, the L of LGBT has been stereotyped, categorized and for some reason chosen as the sect of LGBT individuals who are not only accepted in sport but more so expected to be there. In fact, since sports originated in the roots of establishing masculinity, it was assumed that any woman who was strong or competent at a particular athletic activity must be manly, or in other words a lesbian.

Since when did masculinity = lesbian? Since when did being athletic mean you were LGBT? Oh right, those are heinous stereotypes that STILL EXIST! Regardless, stereotypes are called such because they have no logical basis and are discriminatory and often despicable. But rather than fight, scream and yell, is there a better way to embrace a falsehood rather than refute it?

The lessons learned from the inclusion of lesbians in sport can be a useful starting point for working towards promoting acceptance of the GBT part of the LGBT acronym. Lesbians who participate and exist within athletic communities, and their supporters, can and need to voice their support of gay, bisexual and transgender athletes. They can exemplify that LGBT people exist in sports and are damn good at them.

Imagine the power of a positive message that could come out of a horrendously negative situation. See what 11 powerful lesbians in sport have been able to accomplish here. The biggest names of them all, Billie Jean King, has transformed sport to be welcoming to LGBT athletes,  garnered millions of impressions and publicity including having her name all over the U.S. Tennis Open and defeated a male in a legitimate pro tennis match. Wow, go girl.

We cannot all be Billie Jean, but we certainly can learn from her inspiring example. Embrace lesbianism in sport, realize the timeline of out lesbians in athletic communities and use it for moving the equality ticker forward. Next time you hear someone spitting a nasty homophobic slur at an incredible female athlete, respond with a thank you rather than a middle finger. It may be seem an oxymoron to do so, but positive energy usually goes a lot further than hate, hostility and frustration.

Gym Class Isn't Tasting The Rainbow: LGBT Youth

You run to the gymnasium, change into those stretchy shorts and an old t-shirt. It's supposed to be the highlight of your school day, but for some reason you cannot stand the social nature of gym class, despite being a fifth grader. LGBT youth grow up in hostile environments that are not the least bit inclusive, accepting or welcoming. What does this mean for sports? That LGBT youth involved in athletics are as uncomfortable as ever before ... which certainly doesn't bode well for being comfortable as an adolescent or adult.

80% of LGBT youth experience harassment, 85% of youth hear the term gay used as a slur on a regular basis and more than 25% of LGBT student-athletes in the U.S. reported having been harassed or assaulted while playing on a school sports team because of their sexual orientation. That's one-quarter of them! If any identity whether personal, ethnic or racial were exploited as horribly as being LGBT is, we'd certainly live in an uncomfortable and hostile world. Why do we as human beings, let alone sports aficionados, allow one identity to be continually bashed in elementary and middle schools throughout the United States and world? Let me know if you have the answer, because I certainly do not.

All this equals discomfort for LGBT youth, whom many of are athletes as well. Research shows that LGBT boys and girls know that they are "different" by age three or four, and can pinpoint their sexual orientation or gender identity by ages 12 or 13. That means those mini-mite hockey players, little league baseball stars, in-town softball standouts and munchkin football athletes, all know that they are LGBT, if so, before they even hit puberty! They are also harassed, discriminated against and barraged before they are old enough to date as well.

Where are the teachers? The Ms. Robinson's of the world that you always hear people reminiscing about. "Oh she was great, so sweet, and so helpful," says the average school teacher who always is ready to help and aid his or her student. Hmmm, that person seems to be a ghost in today's school systems.

So it is no wonder it has taken until 2013 for any male in a major sport to publicly come out. It is no wonder that leagues like the MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL are just now becoming LGBT ally trained. It is no wonder that athletics is not a welcoming place for LGBT individuals. And it is no wonder that elementary, middle and high schools aren't tasting the rainbow of LGBT equality. Excuse me Mr. Gym Teacher, but it's time to blow the whistle on hate.