January 9 , 2008

Swimmer comes out

Sports has always been predominantly a straight peoples's domain. Here in the Philippines, it's no different. From basketball to boxing, from the athletes to the fans, mostly straight. People think we are only on the sidelines ogling at the athletes. But that's not always true (hehehe). [Photo source]

It's never imagined to be something a gay man can excel in. At least that's what is assumed. There are a lot of gay athletes out there. They are just in the closet. They hide because of fear. Fear of losing everyone's respect, especially their teammates's. Fear of people treating them differently (or even violently).

I know only a few gay athletes. Greg Louganis (Olympic Diver), John Amaechi (Basketball) and Ian Roberts (Rugby).

It is rare for athletes to come out while still active in their respective sport. Ian Roberts is the only athlete I know who came out while active in Rugby. And it was not really a piece of cake for him. John Amaechi is already retired when he came out.

Scott Jordan, a swim captain of a conservative university in the states, recently came out. In Outsports.com, he wrote about his coming out to his teammates and how it positively affected him .

He writes:

"It was one of my first conversations with a teammate on the swim team after I’d decided to come out to them last summer. I was home in Connecticut talking with him on the phone about the upcoming season when talk turned, as it sometimes does, to sex.

"Scott, you're gonna get so much ass this year,” he said to me. “The girls are gonna be all over you."

I took the plunge.

“That’s not the kind of ass I’m looking for,” I replied.

He didn’t believe me at first; In fact, most everyone I’ve come out to hasn’t believed I’m gay. But once he realized I wasn't joking around, I told him it wasn't a secret anymore. I told just three teammates that summer, purposely telling one teammate in particular because I knew he liked to gossip (yep, straight guys gossip too). As planned, gossip took care of the rest. When I got to school a month later it felt like the entire campus knew I was gay, and I had only told three people."

(Click the link to read the entire article)

I hope closeted athletes read this article and hope it inspires them to be who they really are.

Oh, by the way, he's hot, but he's too young for my taste. Hehehe.