The debate that ensued illustrated the passion, fear and ignorance that the topic of homosexuality in sports engenders. The call for discussion and education about homosexuality in sports has been embraced by the Women’s Sports Foundation, especially after the flap last month over CBS golf commentator Ben Wright’s reported remarks that widespread lesbianism on the LPGA Tour was hurting sponsorship.
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“The sports world and the film industry are the two final frontiers - the sports world because it’s the last bastion of heterosexuality in this country, and the movie industry because it’s built on image.” “Coming out is one of the best ways of fostering understanding inside and outside the gay community, because if people know that gay people are everywhere it becomes less of an issue than if they’re only in certain arenas,” said Jeff Yarbrough, editor of “The Advocate,” which has a readership of 250,000. No one expects a flood of coming-out announcements right away, despite the fact that there have been more gay men and lesbians in entertainment and politics revealing their sexual orientation in the past two years than in the previous two decades. I find it hard to believe that someone is standing on the other side of the rope, going, ‘Is Beth Daniel gay or is she not gay?”’ I want people to watch me play golf for my golf skills, and I want to be able to give that to them. The possibility of losing endorsements was not a concern, she said, adding, “I just don’t feel like whether I’m gay or not should be an issue to people. “And I would feel that anyone would have the right to say that.” “I would just say that that’s my personal business and it’s no one else’s business at all,” Daniel said. She carried her own tape recorder to the interview, saying she had been misquoted before. When asked if she’s a role model for other gay athletes to come out, Navratilova turned around and said, “I don’t see any line forming behind me.”ĭaniel, the LPGA player of the year in 1994, has a huge following among lesbians, but refused to discuss her sexual orientation when asked about it in a recent interview at the Oldsmobile Classic. So, too, have been the sexual orientations of at least half a dozen other players among the top 50, though none have talked about it. Fernandez’s relationship with defending Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez has been an open secret on the women’s tour among other players, writers and fans. Tennis player Gigi Fernandez came out when she appeared on stage with Martina Navratilova during the gay rights March on Washington in 1993. As more and more gay and lesbian athletes follow, propelled by the scourge of AIDS and a younger generation’s openness, the initial shock is certain to shatter the stereotypes of athletes and homosexuals. Three of America’s most famous male athletes - an NFL player, an NBA player and a track and field star - have been talking to The Advocate, a national gay and lesbian magazine, about coming out, according to its editor. Ultimately, it’s a question of justice and freedom and fairness.” “There are too many gay and lesbian athletes in sports for this to be ignored or hidden much longer. Dee Mosbacher, a psychiatrist and producer of a documentary about homophobia in women’s sports. “We have to start talking about it,” said Dr. It is happening slowly, with anger and denial on all sides of the issue, but the movement to end this most secret and powerful taboo in athletics cannot be stopped. Half a century after the color barrier was broken in baseball, a social shift of no less significance is occurring on playing fields and in locker rooms, in corporate offices and in public debate: the acceptance of homosexuality in sports. On a Sunday when about half of the 27,000 spectators were lesbians, walking around together, holding hands, hugging and kissing, nothing about this couple seemed unusual.
Two young women lay languidly in the sun along the 18th fairway, T-shirts rolled up above their bellies, arms and legs braided in a casual embrace.īeth Daniel, and the gallery that followed her at this LPGA tournament, paid no attention to the couple. Amid gay pride celebrations in New York this week, the issue still evokes passion, fear and ignorance among athletes, spectators and sponsors. Homosexuality in sports is gaining acceptance, albeit more lowly than in the fields of entertainment and politics. A gay major leaguer’s death from AIDS revives allegations of homophobia in baseball.
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Editor’s note: A TV commentator’s reported remarks about lesbians in the LPGA ignites a storm of controversy.
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