When I came out of the closet as America's first openly gay high school coach in 1993, my loyal distance runners experienced overt and institutionalized homophobia. When one of my athletes was brutally beaten by a football player, the media sought me as a voice on issues of homophobia and sport. Over the years, I saw how much sporting culture promoted homophobia and misogyny. I decided to give up coaching and return to academia to earn a doctorate in sociology. Researching the experiences of openly gay athletes, I identified ways homophobia polices the lives of both gay and straight men. My research reveals how homophobia is on the rapid decline and forms of inclusive masculinity are on the rise. This cultural paradigm shift is permiting men of various sexual identities to experience a wider range of sexual and gendered behaviors.
Posted by Eric Anderson on Monday, August 29, 2011,
It's strange to be honored because one of my straight athletes was beaten in a homophobic attack in 1996, but it nonetheless changed the focus of my life from coaching to research and activism. Thus, I'm proud that Outsports.com has listed the horrific event as the 37th most influential moment in gay sporting history.
When I came out of the closet as America's first openly gay high school coach in 1993, my loyal distance runners experienced overt and institutionalized homophobia. When one of my athletes was brutally beaten by a football player, the media sought me as a voice on issues of homophobia and sport. Over the years, I saw how much sporting culture promoted homophobia and misogyny. I decided to give up coaching and return to academia to earn a doctorate in sociology. Researching the experiences of openly gay athletes, I identified ways homophobia polices the lives of both gay and straight men. My research reveals how homophobia is on the rapid decline and forms of inclusive masculinity are on the rise. This cultural paradigm shift is permiting men of various sexual identities to experience a wider range of sexual and gendered behaviors.
