The myth of the straight jock
The myth of the straight jock
When I was growing up, my mother noticed my unmanly manners and urged me to play sports, like running, football or boxing. She thought it would build my muscles – and alter my psychology. I refused.
It’s amuses me now that many parents believed sports would be the magic cure for homosexuality. And of course it’s a complete myth that sports are for straight people, with transgender boxer Nong Tum a prominent example of the contrary.
Yet most people still fall for this myth, so it doesn’t surprise me when soccer stars come out of the closet to a barrage of negative reaction from teammates and fans.
We’re seeing more football players come out, both active and retired. American David Testo is the latest. I just wonder if parents take notice.
Way back in the 1920s, at the height of his fame, Wimbledon and US Open tennis champion Bill Tilden revealed he was gay. Billy Jean King and Martina Navratilova, more recent champions of the courts, are lesbians.
The 1984 Olympics featured two openly gay gold medallists, swimmer Bruce Hayes and diver Greg Louganis. Louganis won two golds that year and two more in 1988. His autobiography “Breaking the Surface” was adapted for the stage in Thailand last year.
The 2000 Olympics had six openly gay athletes, five of them female. In 1975 David Kopay came out after retiring from professional football. Macho rugby has its own star who’s gay – Ian Roberts. He came out in 1995, also at the top of his game.
Who does Thailand have, besides Parinya Charoenphol? How about that volleyball team from Lampang who did so well in the 1996 National Games? You must have seen the film “Satree Lek” (“Iron Ladies”). But besides them, I don’t see anyone else.
There was Sirirat “Nong Wan” Yonyothinkool, on the national basketball squad, often described as a “handsome” girl, but she denied she was gay. If you’ve seen recent photos of her, though, you might still wonder.
So the belief that gays don’t play sports is indeed just a myth, and yet harsh reality still prevents many athletes from coming out. The revelation could well sink their career. That’s why so many of them reveal they’re gay only after they’ve retired.
Professional baseball player Billy Bean famously suffered through a game the day his lover died simply because he felt he had to hide his homosexuality. Jonathan de Falco declared the world football not ready for gay players and quit to act in porn movies.
On top of all this, transgender athletes face all kinds of hassles when it comes to drug testing.
Prejudice hovers over the playing fields and stadiums. Sport is often hailed for its power to unite people, and yet a primary right of being human is scorned or trampled on. Where is the unity in that?
