Gay Men Bragging Their “Balls”….In Sports
Before we were hiding in the closet, then acting in drags, later on, considered to be in “parlors”, leveled up to promoting equality in TV and now raising the rainbow flags in different sports arenas. But apparently, the finish line for acceptance for gay men coming out in a very masculine race is still yet far-fetched.
You will never expect anyone coming out as gay probably 50 years ago and say “Bakla po ako” or “I am gay.” But the race started with a very loud bang in 1975 when a journeyman NFL running back, David Kopay, came out as gay.
Later on came in 1981 when Billie Jean King, world’s No. 1 tennis player and won over Bobby Riggs in the very famous Battle of the Sexes match in 1973, was “outed” in the limelight
Last year, Jason Collin made history by being the first active male professional athlete in a major US team sport to openly come out as gay. By the way, he is a 12-year NBA veteran.
And just recently, Sochi Olympics flurried rainbow-colored ice crystals as 6 openly gay athletes dashed for the medals.
But the race doesn’t stop there. Just a month ago, Michael Sam, an All-American defensive lineman at the University of Missouri, came out.
The only thing that I can say when I got to know this news is that, he is so brave to do such. When I was in elementary up until college, I veered away with sports so masculine I could even melt in an instant. Part of my experience was too much discrimination from my classmates especially boys since for sports like basketball and football (in college) girls are separated from us. Pero bakla po ako. Kaya sa lalaki pa rin ako kasali.
There are even some PE days that I would like to be absent from class because of the bullying that might happen to me. But here is the brave Michael Sam baring his sexuality even before the draft. I just hope that his coming out would not affect his career in his chosen sport.
Maybe it is about time that society would no longer measure a man’s (woman’s or any human’s) capabilities with his gender or sexual orientation but on the merits of what they can and how they can go further. I wouldn’t mind seeing a professional athlete in the worldwide arena and even here especially in the Philippines who would say “Bakla po ako” and still continue in his personal race. Rather than to see a professional sought-after athlete who’s drunk, adamant about the feelings of others and fond of being a bunch of kickass-walking steroid bagging a trophy just because he/she is straight.
Gay Men Bragging Their “Balls”….In Sports
Joemar Belleza
Latest posts by Joemar Belleza (see all)
More from my site
