128.62.235.141 (talk) No edit summary |
|||
Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
| rewrite = April 2010 |
| rewrite = April 2010 |
||
| wikify = April 2010 |
| wikify = April 2010 |
||
|orphan =April {2010}} |
|||
}} |
|||
Now more than ever open [[homosexuality]] is becoming more common and more accepted in the sporting world. With outspoken homosexual athletes, including [[Sheryl Swoopes]], [[Billy Jean King]], [[Dennis Rodman]] and [[Billy Bean]] in the limelight, the stigma has begun to slowly fade away.{{ |
Now more than ever open [[homosexuality]] is becoming more common and more accepted in the sporting world. With outspoken homosexual athletes, including [[Sheryl Swoopes]], [[Billy Jean King]], [[Dennis Rodman]] and [[Billy Bean]] in the limelight, the stigma has begun to slowly fade away.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} In the 1980s [[Tom Waddell]], an Olympic decathlete hosted the first [[Gay Games]] in [[San Francisco]].<ref>http://espn.go.com/otl/world/timeline.html</ref> Since then many homosexual sporting organizations have been founded along with sporting events that feature homosexual athletes.<ref>http://www.atlantagaysports.com/</ref><ref>http://www.gaygames.com/</ref>. While progress has been made, homosexual athletes still face many challenges. Most locker rooms have a “[[don’t ask, don’t tell]]” policy,<ref>http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=LQTbzGKSZCvydJfLpQ6P4JcdfyvGtNWvyyhTVHJMrgP9sJskqN2p!-386046152!-26192916?docId=5002538926</ref> and there are few openly gay male athletes in hyper masculine sports like football<ref>http://www.outsports.com/nfl/index.htm</ref>. On the other hand, female athletes in sports seen as masculine are often assumed to be gay<ref>http://www.jstor.org/stable/4121394?cookieSet=1</ref>. |
||
== |
==Homophobia in Sports Culture== |
||
⚫ | Heteronormativity can be seen as the dominant paradigm in sports culture, stemming all the way into children's athletics in middle and high schools.<ref>Wilkinson & Pearson 2009 (http://gas.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/23/4/542)</ref> Heteronormativity describes "the myriad ways in which heterosexuality is produced as a natural, unproblematic, taken-for-granted, ordinary phenomenon".{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} This way of thinking is often taken to the extreme in sports culture, as a wide body of sociological scholarship has documented the emphasis of hegemonic masculinity in sports.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} |
||
⚫ | The priority of heteronormative thinking in athletics has lead to a traditional view in sports culture that is highly intolerant of homosexuality.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} This homophobic attitude has been documented in adolescent sports especially, as a recent study by Osborne and Wagner showed that male adolescents who participated in football were significantly more likely to hold homophobic attitudes than other peers their age.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} |
||
⚫ | Heteronormativity can be seen as the dominant paradigm in sports culture, stemming all the way into children's athletics in middle and high schools.<ref>Wilkinson & Pearson 2009 (http://gas.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/23/4/542)</ref> Heteronormativity describes "the myriad ways in which heterosexuality is produced as a natural, unproblematic, taken-for-granted, ordinary phenomenon".{{ |
||
⚫ | In a recent study on the well being of same-sex-attracted youth in the United States, Wilkinson and Pearson found that lower self-esteem and higher rates of depression in same-sex attracted youth were correlated with the prevalence of football in high schools (2009). Sociology researchers Sartore and Cunningham also found a similar stigmatization in the view of homosexual coaches, as high school parents were shown to have an unwillingness to allow their children to be coached by a homosexual (2009). They also found a similar attitude from high school athletes themselves toward participating on teams coached by either gay or lesbian coaches (2009). In spite of the apparent prevalence of homophobic thinking in athletic culture, recent scholarship has documented an increasing trend toward openly gay athletes in high school and collegiate level sports (Anderson 2005). |
||
⚫ | The priority of heteronormative thinking in athletics has lead to a traditional view in sports culture that is highly intolerant of homosexuality.{{ |
||
⚫ | This trend, however, has not been seen in professional sports, where homosexuality still remains largely stigmatized in the four major U.S. Professional men's teamsports: Major League Baseball, NBA, NFL, and NHL.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} No player has ever come out as openly gay while an active member of these leagues,{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} and only six players have come out after their careers were over: Dave Kopay, Roy Simmons, and Esera Tualo (NFL); Billy Bean and Glen Burke (MLB); John Amaechi (NBA).{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} This same trend can also be found in England's Professional Footballers Association (PFA), as a recent ad campaign devised by the PFA against homophobia failed because no professional football player was willing to associate themselves with the ad.<ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/taylor-claims-gay-issue-not-easy-for-stars-1897531.html</ref> |
||
⚫ | In a recent study on the well being of same-sex-attracted youth in the United States, Wilkinson and Pearson found that lower self-esteem and higher rates of depression in same-sex attracted youth were correlated with the prevalence of football in high schools (2009). Sociology researchers Sartore and Cunningham also found a similar stigmatization in the view of homosexual coaches, as high school parents were shown to have an unwillingness to allow their children to be coached by a homosexual (2009). They also found a similar attitude from high school athletes themselves toward participating on teams coached by either gay or lesbian coaches (2009). In spite of the apparent prevalence of homophobic thinking in athletic culture, recent scholarship has documented an increasing trend toward openly gay athletes in high school and collegiate level sports (Anderson 2005). |
||
⚫ | Although professional team sports remain largely heteronormative, individual sports, such as tennis and figure skating have had more openly gay athletes.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} Recent attempts by organizations such as the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) have also been made to break down homophobic attitudes in collegiate and professional team sports.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} NCLR has worked with the San Francisco 49ers, as well as collegiate athletic departments at universities such as North Carolina, Florida, and Stanford at revising team policies to more openly accommodate LBGT athletes.<ref>http://www.nclrights.org/site/PageServer?pagename=issue_sports_overview#history</ref> |
||
⚫ | This trend, however, has not been seen in professional sports, where homosexuality still remains largely stigmatized in the four major U.S. Professional men's teamsports: Major League Baseball, NBA, NFL, and NHL.{{ |
||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | Although professional team sports remain largely heteronormative, individual sports, such as tennis and figure skating have had more openly gay athletes.{{ |
||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | [[Homophobia]] in the sports world has had a long history, but a recent case was a breakthrough in the homosexual world which resulted in a lawsuit. This is the case of [[Jennifer Harris]] and her altercation with Penn State and more specifically their women’s basketball coach [[Rene Portland]]<ref>http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/news/story?id=2187880</ref>. In 2006, a gay rights advocacy group, The National Center for Lesbian Rights, accused Rene Portland of forcing Jennifer Harris to transfer because of bias against lesbians. The advocacy group claims that Portland has been biased against lesbians for decades and they cite a 1986 interview in which she claimed she talked to recruits and parents of recruits about lesbians stating, “I will not have it in my program.” There was also claims of Portland telling key recruits in order to keep them from going to rival schools that the other team was “full of lesbians.” The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court and Penn State found Portland in violation of policy. She was fined $10,000 by the university in lieu of a one game suspension and was warned that another infraction would result in her termination.<ref>http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2006/04/04-19-06tdc/04-19-06dnews-10.asp</ref> Rene Portland eventually resigned from her position as women’s head basketball coach. This case has been a huge success for the LGBT movement in ridding sports of homophobic discrimination. It has been heralded by one major player in the movement as "the biggest thing concerning LGBT student- athletes ever."<ref>http://www.outsports.com/women/20060418portlandreprimand.htm</ref> |
||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | [[Homophobia]] in the sports world has had a long history, but a recent case was a breakthrough in the homosexual world which resulted in a lawsuit. This is the case of [[Jennifer Harris]] and her altercation with Penn State and more specifically their women’s basketball coach [[Rene Portland]]<ref>http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/news/story?id=2187880</ref>. In 2006, a gay rights advocacy group, The National Center for Lesbian Rights, accused Rene Portland of forcing Jennifer Harris to transfer because of bias against lesbians. The advocacy group claims that Portland has been biased against lesbians for decades and they cite a 1986 interview in which she claimed she talked to recruits and parents of recruits about lesbians stating, “I will not have it in my program.” There was also claims of Portland telling key recruits in order to keep them from going to rival schools that the other team was “full of lesbians.” The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court and Penn State found Portland in violation of policy. She was fined $10,000 by the university in lieu of a one game suspension and was warned that another infraction would result in her termination. |
||
⚫ | |||
*[[List of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender sportspeople]] |
*[[List of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender sportspeople]] |
||
*[[Homosexuality in women's sports]] |
*[[Homosexuality in women's sports]] |
||
Line 31: | Line 30: | ||
*[[World Outgames]] |
*[[World Outgames]] |
||
== |
==References== |
||
{{ |
{{Reflist}} |
||
{{Uncategorized|date=April 2010}} |
Revision as of 23:28, 29 April 2010
Now more than ever open homosexuality is becoming more common and more accepted in the sporting world. With outspoken homosexual athletes, including Sheryl Swoopes, Billy Jean King, Dennis Rodman and Billy Bean in the limelight, the stigma has begun to slowly fade away.[citation needed] In the 1980s Tom Waddell, an Olympic decathlete hosted the first Gay Games in San Francisco.[1] Since then many homosexual sporting organizations have been founded along with sporting events that feature homosexual athletes.[2][3]. While progress has been made, homosexual athletes still face many challenges. Most locker rooms have a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy,[4] and there are few openly gay male athletes in hyper masculine sports like football[5]. On the other hand, female athletes in sports seen as masculine are often assumed to be gay[6].
Homophobia in Sports Culture
Heteronormativity can be seen as the dominant paradigm in sports culture, stemming all the way into children's athletics in middle and high schools.[7] Heteronormativity describes "the myriad ways in which heterosexuality is produced as a natural, unproblematic, taken-for-granted, ordinary phenomenon".[citation needed] This way of thinking is often taken to the extreme in sports culture, as a wide body of sociological scholarship has documented the emphasis of hegemonic masculinity in sports.[citation needed]
The priority of heteronormative thinking in athletics has lead to a traditional view in sports culture that is highly intolerant of homosexuality.[citation needed] This homophobic attitude has been documented in adolescent sports especially, as a recent study by Osborne and Wagner showed that male adolescents who participated in football were significantly more likely to hold homophobic attitudes than other peers their age.[citation needed]
In a recent study on the well being of same-sex-attracted youth in the United States, Wilkinson and Pearson found that lower self-esteem and higher rates of depression in same-sex attracted youth were correlated with the prevalence of football in high schools (2009). Sociology researchers Sartore and Cunningham also found a similar stigmatization in the view of homosexual coaches, as high school parents were shown to have an unwillingness to allow their children to be coached by a homosexual (2009). They also found a similar attitude from high school athletes themselves toward participating on teams coached by either gay or lesbian coaches (2009). In spite of the apparent prevalence of homophobic thinking in athletic culture, recent scholarship has documented an increasing trend toward openly gay athletes in high school and collegiate level sports (Anderson 2005).
This trend, however, has not been seen in professional sports, where homosexuality still remains largely stigmatized in the four major U.S. Professional men's teamsports: Major League Baseball, NBA, NFL, and NHL.[citation needed] No player has ever come out as openly gay while an active member of these leagues,[citation needed] and only six players have come out after their careers were over: Dave Kopay, Roy Simmons, and Esera Tualo (NFL); Billy Bean and Glen Burke (MLB); John Amaechi (NBA).[citation needed] This same trend can also be found in England's Professional Footballers Association (PFA), as a recent ad campaign devised by the PFA against homophobia failed because no professional football player was willing to associate themselves with the ad.[8]
Although professional team sports remain largely heteronormative, individual sports, such as tennis and figure skating have had more openly gay athletes.[citation needed] Recent attempts by organizations such as the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) have also been made to break down homophobic attitudes in collegiate and professional team sports.[citation needed] NCLR has worked with the San Francisco 49ers, as well as collegiate athletic departments at universities such as North Carolina, Florida, and Stanford at revising team policies to more openly accommodate LBGT athletes.[9]
The Groundbreaking Case
Homophobia in the sports world has had a long history, but a recent case was a breakthrough in the homosexual world which resulted in a lawsuit. This is the case of Jennifer Harris and her altercation with Penn State and more specifically their women’s basketball coach Rene Portland[10]. In 2006, a gay rights advocacy group, The National Center for Lesbian Rights, accused Rene Portland of forcing Jennifer Harris to transfer because of bias against lesbians. The advocacy group claims that Portland has been biased against lesbians for decades and they cite a 1986 interview in which she claimed she talked to recruits and parents of recruits about lesbians stating, “I will not have it in my program.” There was also claims of Portland telling key recruits in order to keep them from going to rival schools that the other team was “full of lesbians.” The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court and Penn State found Portland in violation of policy. She was fined $10,000 by the university in lieu of a one game suspension and was warned that another infraction would result in her termination.[11] Rene Portland eventually resigned from her position as women’s head basketball coach. This case has been a huge success for the LGBT movement in ridding sports of homophobic discrimination. It has been heralded by one major player in the movement as "the biggest thing concerning LGBT student- athletes ever."[12]
See also
- List of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender sportspeople
- Homosexuality in women's sports
- Homosexuality in English football
- Federation of Gay Games
- European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation
- World Outgames
References
- ^ http://espn.go.com/otl/world/timeline.html
- ^ http://www.atlantagaysports.com/
- ^ http://www.gaygames.com/
- ^ http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=LQTbzGKSZCvydJfLpQ6P4JcdfyvGtNWvyyhTVHJMrgP9sJskqN2p!-386046152!-26192916?docId=5002538926
- ^ http://www.outsports.com/nfl/index.htm
- ^ http://www.jstor.org/stable/4121394?cookieSet=1
- ^ Wilkinson & Pearson 2009 (http://gas.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/23/4/542)
- ^ http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/taylor-claims-gay-issue-not-easy-for-stars-1897531.html
- ^ http://www.nclrights.org/site/PageServer?pagename=issue_sports_overview#history
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/news/story?id=2187880
- ^ http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2006/04/04-19-06tdc/04-19-06dnews-10.asp
- ^ http://www.outsports.com/women/20060418portlandreprimand.htm