Toronto Blue Jays player suspended for writing "f-g" on his face during game

Good for the Blue Jays.

We wrote about this yesterday.

Though it doesn't sound like Escobar entirely "gets it":

Escobar insisted the word is often used within teams and by Latinos and "I didn't see it as something bad at the time."

"For us, it doesn't have the significance to the way it's being interpreted now," he said. "It's a word without a meaning."

"I don't have anything against homosexuals," he said, adding he didn't mean for the term to be "misinterpreted" by the gay community.

Misinterpreted?

I speak Spanish. I know how the word is used by Latinos. It's the same way it's used by Greeks. And the same way it's used by Americans when they pronounce something to be "gay." It's a way of knock something or someone in a somewhat "light-hearted" way.

And there's a reason that that word is used in many cultures as a put down. Because those cultures have contempt for gay people.

A Jewish friend was telling me that someone actually used the expression "to Jew down" with him recently. He was astonished, and called the guy on it. The guy didn't quite get his concern.

A lot of people don't get all of the subtleties of bigotry. And it can be subtle. It's not always so obvious as a white guy calling a black guy the n-word. Sometimes it's a candy company that thinks violence against gays is funny. Sometimes it's a gay guy calling other gay guys bad parents.

But the root of it all is society's subtle, and overt, messaging that being gay is bad. And the culture picks up on that, and Jay Leno keeps telling f-g jokes - because they're funny - and Ron Howard starts putting using the word "gay" as a pejorative in his movies - because it's funny.

People find all sorts of reasons to defend their use of bigoted language. Like this baseball player saying the word "f-g" in Spanish doesn't even mean "gay."

That's because the bigotry is so pervasive and so accepted that it's second-nature.

Yeah, well, not any more.

PS Apparently he's now trotting out the defense that his hair stylist and home decorator are gay.  Seriously.

"My home decorator is gay, my hair stylist is gay and I have several friends that are gay. And they haven't felt offended about the situation."

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Toronto Blue Jays shortstop writes "f-ggot" on his face during game

I can't believe someone would be so stupid as to do this.  Boy, the Blue Jays had better lay down serious punishment for this, lest anyone think they endorse this kind of bigotry, which they certainly wouldn't tolerate (one hopes) had other minorities been slurred.  A slur is a slur.  And either you're with it or you're against it. Read the rest of this post...

Loving this football guy

USA Today:

"The tide is changing," Ayanbadejo said. He's noticed a shift in NFL locker rooms that he feels mirrors a shift in society. Some teammates used to call him gay when he advocated gay rights, he says; now they listen to him even when they don't agree. Many players who oppose same-sex marriage do so on religious grounds, he noted.

"I'm against it," New York Giants offensive tackle Will Beatty said. "It's just my religious background and, from what I understand from reading the Bible, it's a sin. I mean, we all have sins. No one's perfect. That doesn't mean I'm for sin."

Ayanbadejo respects the opinion but disagrees with it. "The disconnect is that religion is not law," he said. "And some guys have trouble seeing the difference."

Same-sex marriage will be law in Maryland in 2013 if voters affirm the legislation, the outcome Ayanbadejo expects.

"It's a new day, and we'll keep pushing forward until it becomes second nature: â??Oh, there's a same-sex couple and they have a child,' and we're not going to look twice," he says.

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More about that NFL player's letter to the homophobic politician

A nice write up in the Sun Times about that letter the football player wrote to the homophobic Maryland state legislator.

I don’t want to spend the whole column quoting Kluwe, but he asks Burns a question that should be put to all fearful haters who believe a few lines in their particular faith’s special book will excuse their loathsome bias forever: “Why do you hate freedom? Why do you hate the fact that other people want a chance to live their lives and be happy, even though they may believe in something different than you, or act different than you?”

Now other NFL players are also speaking out. Which should remind the bigots-hiding-behind-Bibles that when you’ve lost pro athletes, you’ve lost. Freedom is a one-way street. Blacks don’t contemplate a return to slavery. Women don’t agonize whether getting the vote was a good or bad thing. Having fought their way out of the closet and tasted the joys of daily life, unafraid and unashamed, gay people are never going back. That’s just a fact. You can be among those who helped, or you can be a stumbling block, but the end result will be the same. Me, I went online and joined the Chris Kluwe Fan Club.

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How did gay Olympians fare in the medal count?

Ten out gay Olympians won medals.

Ten publicly out gay and lesbian Olympians are taking home medals from these Olympic Games in London, most of them gold.

If Team Gay was a country, it would have finished 31st overall with seven medals, tied with Mexico, Ethiopia and Georgia. They would have beaten the medal count of such countries as Jamaica, Ireland, Argentina and India. They would have finished 21st overall for most golds (four), tied with Iran, Jamaica, Czech Republic and Korea.

Over 43% of the out athletes (10 of the 23) won a medal in these Olympic Games. That's over double the percentage of athletes overall who won medals: 20%. Team Gay outperformed the percentage of Team USA athletes with medals, 39% of which is taking home hardware. A whopping 58% of all openly gay, lesbian or intersex Olympians over the years have won a medal, which is an incredible statistic.

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Stunning photos of America's Olympians (kinda nude) from ESPN

Okay, ladies, now it's your turn (with some damn nice photos of the boys too). Amazed this is on ESPN.  (I particularly like this one of American fencer Tim Morehouse, artistically as well as just damn hot.)

Cuban-American gymnast Danell Leyva.

US women national volleyball team.

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Wonderful post of the hottest 50 hunks at the Olympics

Sorry, ladies, it's a guy thing. If there are any hunky Olympian-ettes out there, happy to link to them too. Read the rest of this post...

When is International Olympic Committee suing the Romneys?

Remember when the International Olympic Committee got all mean and nasty towards the Gay Olympics for calling themselves the Gay Olympics? It only took the IOC three weeks to sue the Gay Olympics for calling themselves that.  (The Gay Olympics were forced to change their name to the Gay Games.)

So I'm wondering how much time it will take for the IOC to call out Mitt Romney - now one of the biggest public figures in America, and the world - for naming his annual family outing "The Romney Olympics."

If the IOC is going to worry so much about diluting their brand that they'd go after a bunch of gay guys (and even some self-proclaimed rednecks) playing sports, imagine the damage the Republican presidential candidate - and a former CEO of the winter Olympics - could cause. Read the rest of this post...

International Olympic Committee explicitly opposes all discrimination (unless you're gay)

At first I thought it might be a bit extreme to demand that the IOC kick countries out of the Olympics that make gay relationships illegal.  Then I read the Olympic charter.

IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau, asked about the appeals, noted that the Olympic Charter "clearly states that 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 Olympic Movement."

Not a very good answer, IOC, to quote language that says you shouldn't be doing what you're doing. If anything, that language backs the folks who say you should be dumping anti-gay countries.

And for that matter, then why is the IOC letting Russia ban a Pride House at the 2014 games?

Russia, host of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, has a checkered record on gay rights, and a regional court -- citing a potential threat to Russian society -- has upheld Sochi officials' rejection of a proposed "Pride House" to welcome gays and lesbians at the games.

And what was the IOC's response?  The same BS quote of the Olympic Charter, and then nothing.

As for Russia's "checkered record" on gay civil rights.... St. Petersburg has banned the mention of the word "gay" in public (no word on how they feel about the word "Nazi"), and Moscow just banned Pride for the next 100 years.  Checkered is putting it nicely.

Let's just admit that the Olympics are about corporations, just like everything else in the world today, and put the cute little "we are the world" quotes to rest once and for all. Read the rest of this post...

International Olympic Committee tacitly condones Russian discrimination against LGBT athletes at 2014 games

Check out the weasel-y answer from the IOC regarding the Russians banning the games' Pride House because it might threaten the territorial integrity of Russia.  Seriously.  A Russian judge has sided with the Russian government, claiming that if the Olympics again have a Pride House for LGBT athletes, it could force Russia to literally split in two.

But judge Svetlana Mordovina ruled against them saying that Pride House would threaten the growth of the Russian population and therefore risk the country’s ‘territorial integrity’.

You can take the Russians out of the Soviet Union, but I guess you can't take the Soviet soul out of the Russians. Read the rest of this post...

Are bisexuals eligible to play in a "gay" softball league?

(Marcus Bachman's summer plans are on hold until we figure this out.  Kidding.  Sort of.)

I'm not entirely sure I care.  Meaning, of course they should be eligible, why are we even discussing this?  Oh, but there was a lawsuit.  A necessary one, really.  A bisexual team was excluded from the gay softball "world series" because the organizers decided they were really straight.  I've never completely understood the disbelief some gay people hold for the term "bisexual."  I mean, why not?  I'm pretty much a Kinsey 6, but I certainly know gay men who have some, albeit minor, attraction to women - and again, so what?  I also know gay men who swear that they're bi, have dated men and women, and have been quite happy.  Again, why not?  We can accept that some of us are totally hetero or totally gay.  And we can accept that some gays like girls, and some straight guys like boys (and a good number of straight girls have at least a passing interest in girls) - though not in 50-50 proportions.  But when the proportion of who you like suddenly hits the magic 50-50 marker, no one believes it's possible?  Again, why not?  (And yes, some guys who are just coming out and/or have issues with being gay say they're 'bi."  That doesn't mean other guys actually aren't.) Read the rest of this post...

American pro soccer star comes out

I have no idea who he is, but if Andy thinks he's somebody, then he's somebody. Read the rest of this post...

Homophobic slurs in male sports

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Chicago burbs making big bucks from hosting gay softball tournament

Lesson to the wise for other towns.  Invite gay conferences and tournaments, and make money.

Elmhurst, along with St. Charles and Schaumburg, is hosting the 2011 Gay Softball World Series, organized by the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association (NAGAA), and benefiting from the influx of visitors.

As the largest gay sporting event in the world, 150 teams — made up mostly of players who are gay, as well as some who are bisexual and straight — qualified for the games from gay softball leagues in 41 cities across the United States and Canada.

In total, the tournament is expected to bring about $5 million to the area, according to Ted Cappas, president of the local tournament planning board.

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SF Giants kiss-cam goes gay

From Sean Chapin via Rex Wockner:

Hi Rex,

Though I can't say with certainty, it appears that last night might have possibly been the first ever time at a San Francisco Giants game that gay couples was shown on the Kiss Cam (at an LGBT Night ball game), and possibly the first time ever at a major league ball game.

Last night was LGBT night, and my friends (a gay couple) and I went. When the Kiss Cam segment started, I told my friends that they should kiss, and I was taking a picture of it on my cell phone. What we didn't know was that the kiss cam ended up on all three of us, and we were on the giant jumbotron scoreboard. The crowd cheered everywhere in the stadium. We noticed, laughed/celebrated, and the couple kissed again while I threw my arms up in celebration, all the while all three of us were still on the Kiss Cam and everyone continued cheering. Attached is the picture that I took on my cell phone. My friends who kissed are Thom Watson and Jeff Tabaco, and they are with Marriage Equality USA. There was another gay couple who was captured on Kiss Cam shortly after.

This morning, I joined a "gay san francisco giants fans" facebook group, and most people there are saying that last night was the first time that they had ever seen a gay couple on the kiss cam:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/gaysfgiantsfans/

I'm hoping to be able to find a video or picture of this moment that someone might have took and put on the web to certify the event.

Other people on facebook were talking about it as well (unfortunately some negative reactions as well), search for "gay kiss cam" on facebook for those posts (without quotation marks).

Let me know if you have any questions.

Best, Sean

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Brazilian martial arts leader has a problem with the gay

His name is Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and apparently he's a big deal.

"I have no prejudice against the gays, but I wouldn't train with someone who's gay. I have no malice, I don't take our physical contact as (something) sexual. But what if the gay person has that malice of having physical contact with me, of staying there grappling? I would have no problems having a gay student in my academy, but I would rather not train with him."

Check out his photo via the link. I'm always intrigued when guys who set off my gaydar are virulently anti-gay.
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Video: The gay who wasn’t gay enough (it’s brilliant)

This is a recruitment mockumentary by Toronto's gay rugby team. I have no idea if it's related to this story, of some bi guys who weren't "gay enough" to play on a gay softball team, or whether it's coincidence. Either way, it's a wonderful video.

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Judge rules straight player limit in gay softball league OK

This is an example of how labeling our movement by its various subsets can have unintended ramifications. When it comes to human sexuality the reason why one is attracted to someone else shouldn't be as important as the fact they ARE attracted to another human being, no matter what that other person's gender might happen to be. There is the personal spiritual and mental aspect that is more powerful than the physical, and should be respected.

For now, the inclusion of anyone who wants to be considered "gay" is an intellectual exercise with real world consequences and there is no practical way around having the sort of problem where a MSM or "male who has sex with men" might not be considered "gay enough" to be part of a gay softball team.

A judge said this week the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) can keep its rule limiting the number of heterosexual players that play on each team.

But, citing questions about how the rule was applied, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour said he will allow the lawsuit brought by three bisexual male players against the organization to go to trial. The men say they were disqualified from the 2008 event in Seattle because they weren't gay enough. As our colleagues from On Deadline wrote, the men filed the suit in April 2010.

The men's sexual orientation was considered by a committee of twenty five people -- absurd.

The plaintiffs — Stephen Apilado, LaRon Charles and John Russ — contend that when they were playing for the championship, they were brought "one at a time, into a room containing as many as 25 people and questioned about their sexual preferences," the Times reported. From there, "The panel members then voted on whether they men were gay or 'non-gay.' Several ballots were held, and the men said the process was humiliating."

If someone wants to play on a gay softball team then all the power to them, and I say LET THEM PLAY. We are playing right into the hands of our enemies if we discriminate against anyone who wants to be considered "gay." Read the rest of this post...

NY Daily News announces pro locker rooms ready for gays

The New York Daily News has announced that locker rooms in professional sports appear to be ready for the coming out of gay professional athletes in male team sports.

But Kopay, a running back who played for five teams during his nine-year career, learned the hard way that the wide world of sports didn't want to make room for gays. He had been considered an excellent coaching prospect, but by the time his autobiography, "The David Kopay Story," was published in 1977, college athletic directors and NFL general managers wanted nothing to do with him. He still sounds shocked, more than 30 years later, by the hostility he encountered when he was interviewed by reporters and talk-show hosts about the book, and by the ugly phone calls and letters he received from anti-gay bigots.

"I am very pleased to have been part of the change that has occurred in sports," Kopay says, "but I didn't think it would take 35 years."

The moment Kopay and other gay athletes had fought for has finally arrived. Sports may not have been ready to embrace gay players, coaches and team executives back in the 1970s, but there is a "Brokeback Mountain" of evidence that suggests it is ready today.

We've written about the subject of homophobia in sports and urging gay athletes to come out for years. Is this the year a gay professional athlete will kick that closet door open and be known as the first out and proud gay male team sport athlete? Read the rest of this post...

Phoenix Suns CEO, Rick Welts, comes out

It seems like we are having a lot of people who are kicking that closet door open. It's a good thing, but even better is the warm, positive response that Rick Welts, CEO of the Phoenix Suns, received after he outed himself:

PHOENIX — Rick Welts was 40,000 feet in the air on a flight two hours from New York when, as he put it, “my life was changing below me.”

The Phoenix Suns president and chief executive officer knew the story revealing he was gay had been posted on the Internet by The New York Times. When he landed, his Blackberry “exploded with e-mails from all over the place,” all supporting him.

There was a voice mail from Charles Barkley, a text from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and “really a nice message” from Arizona Cardinals President Michael Bidwill. In all, he said, he had “a couple hundred” emails, some from people he didn’t know.

Welts does mention in the article he thinks it is a lot harder for athletes to come out because of their brief playing careers and fears of how they would be treated. He goes on to mention that male team sports in America are not in step with society's thinking on the issue. It is time for an American gay male professional athlete in a team sport to come out and be counted. They are, indeed, behind the curve. It might be terrifying for someone considering coming out, but they should remember there were many of us in the military services who had a lot to lose by coming out and we did it any way, and things are changing for the better because of it. They should know that when they do there will be a lot of people who have their back. Read the rest of this post...