Pro Athletes coming out as Gay

[stui magpie]

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/basketb ... 5c3sh.html

I created a new thread for this, I think it deserves it.

Grab yourself a cuppa and sit down for a read, it's not a short one but very interesting and (I thought) well written.

It's a bout a young man's journey to first accepting that he is gay, then deciding how to "out" himself.

A couple of quirky interesting things are when he tells his mum, she basically had known (or suspected) since he was a kid but had left it to him to figure out, and there's still such a thing as "Gay" mannerisms. This guy changed how he clapped after seeing vision of himself clapping team mates while on the bench, and changed how he clapped because he thought it was "Too Gay".

The other interesting point it raises is about the notion of "Who Cares?" when a pro athlete comes out as Gay, usually coming from the perspective that in this day and age it shouldn't be a big deal. But it clearly is.

[What'sinaname]

Being gay was "popular" 10 years ago. Nowadays, being gay is meh. Gay, straight, no one really cares anymore.

Now come out as an transgender, non-binary, intersex indigenous athlete and we have a HUGE story on our hands.

[think positive]

Years ago a friend told me her only child had told her he’s gay, and was shocked because Me and most of her friends were neither surprised, or horrified! He’s an awesome person as is his fiancé, no big deal.

Another friends sons wife left him and is she is now in a relationship with a woman, who just happens to be one of juniors besties, she actually stayed with us for a while when her parents were less than understanding. They are cool with it now, I guess almost losing her to cancer gave them a new set of priorities. However the sons mum, who ‘suddenly’ made contact with me last year after 20 years gap from mothers group / kinder, when they moved away, is just gobsmackingly bigoted about it. At first she was all hearts and flowers as the new girl was a calming good influence on the kids, but when we met up at a park the start of January, she had just a little dig. I ignored it but gently reinforced what said new girl means to me. I love her like a daughter! Last week I got a really disturbing text only because she verbally attacked new girl onthe grandkids first day of school, and knew I’d hear about it. Wow 2 very different stories. I didn’t reply. Ifshe pushes I’ll tell here exactly what I think. They are Maltese, notsure if it’s cultural, but she’s very much a typical W wife. Not a required friend anymore!

For (mates with) sake it’s 2023, nobody cares!

I don’t care if your transgender or can’t decide what you are either, but I won’t compete against an ex male, and this damn ridiculous they them business drives me nuts. It, call it it. If you say they I’m thinking plural for a start!

[Pies4shaw]

^ My pronouns haven't changed. They are still "We" and "Our".

[think positive]

^ My pronouns haven't changed. They are still "We" and "Our".

Well ones snooty self references are acceptable!

[stui magpie]

The reason I posted the article is because I think it gives great insight into the mind of a person struggling with their sexuality and the process of first internal acceptance, then family, then being open as a professional athlete.

While most think it should be no big deal, as TP's experience demonstrates, it clearly still can be. (Goodonya Jo)

When my daughter told me years ago, after breaking up with her boyfriend, that her new partner wasn't male, all I said (after a second or 2 to process that) was "Whatever makes you happy".

I asked her once if she was done with blokes, she replied that she didn't know, it was sort of personality dependent. For that reason I don't put a label on her sexuality, that's not my boat to row. I'll say she's in a same sex relationship and leave it to her to put a label on herself if she chooses to. IDGAF as long as she's happy, I love her current partner, my 84 year old mother accepted it all seamlessly, not something that has happened for everyone clearly.

My pronouns are "Oi" and "Ay Cnut"

[David]

Being gay was "popular" 10 years ago. Nowadays, being gay is meh. Gay, straight, no one really cares anymore.

Now come out as an transgender, non-binary, intersex indigenous athlete and we have a HUGE story on our hands.

In some contexts, yes, but obviously it'll be a huge deal when the first gay AFL player comes out. It's fair to presume that they will be much more accepted and supported than they would have been 20 or even 10 years ago, but it's still a glass ceiling that needs to be broken.

[What'sinaname]

I think it'll be more of a "well it's about time", someone (Robbo) will ask a stupid question or make a stupid statement about showering nude and then........back to the studio.

[What'sinaname]

A genuine question. Do female athletes have higher levels of testosterone and therefore have a higher representation of lesbianism compared to non-athlete females?

[think positive]

Gotta see someone ask for those test results!


As for the friend I mentioned earlier, she did push it, I replied short and dignified, I won’t do this, so this is where we say goodbye. Her hubby even texted me! I just blocked everything.

[David]

A genuine question. Do female athletes have higher levels of testosterone and therefore have a higher representation of lesbianism compared to non-athlete females?

The jury seems to be out on whether there's any correlation between testosterone levels and same-sex attraction, both in men and women:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prenatal_ ... rientation

That lesbians and bisexuals are overrepresented in women's sport is not disputed, however. The article below offers some theories as to why that might be the case:

https://www.ucfb.ac.uk/news/ucfb-news-h ... -football/

The nature/nurture dichotomy is hard to untangle at the best of times, but I think this is one case where you can make a compelling (at least partial) sociological explanation: women tend to grow up in cultures where competitive sport is seen as unfeminine and less of a suitable activity (and even if that effect is diminished in 21st century Western countries like Australia, I think it's still intuitively true that boys are on average going to experience more social and parental pressure to play sport than girls are). As lesbians tend to display greater gender non-conforming traits than heterosexual girls and women, it stands to reason that that will carry through into careers / recreational choices.

None of that is to say that there's no biological link, just that if true it'd only be part of a bigger picture. It'd be an interesting study, no doubt.