The Gayest Sports Things You'll See This Week

Michael Sam

University of Missouri defensive lineman Michael Sam, almost assuredly a draft pick for the NFL next season, has come out. It is my fervent hope that Michael Sam is the gay Jackie Robinson. What a scary position to put oneself in. And how courageous and loved Mr. Sam must be. And the great thing is, if he's not drafted, then the NFL proves itself the bastion of homophobia that Chris Kluwe claims (undoubtedly so), it is.

Regardless of whether or not Sam is drafted, the good news is that more and more high-profile LGBT people are coming forward, refusing to be silent and refusing to deny who they are. The world over,  athleticism and physical prowess are celebrated far more than scientific. literary or artistic achievements. And while that hardly makes me happy, it's good to know so many high-profile athletes are stepping up for young fans to know that being gay is not a bad thing. Sam joins my personal list of sports heroes, which includes Greg Louganis; Orlando Cruz; Jason Collins; Martina Navratilova; Chris Kluwe; Brendon Ayanbedjo and British Rugby Bear Ben Cohen, among others. 

Speak out. Speak up. Visibility and Familiarity are the keys to Equality. 

So, sociopolitical rant over, here's a video by The Perez Brothers called "Weigh In." It's hardly surprising or unexpected but then, that's hardly the point. Enjoy the possibly NSFW short, below (via):

Maybe I should start training for ring...

More, anon.
Prospero

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Get a Kluwe

A Man Whose Hand I'd Like to Shake - Chris Kluwe

One of my personal sports heroes has struck again. Writing for The Guardian, former NFL Kicker and staunch LGBT ally Chris Kluwe implores Olympians attending the 2014 Winter Games to be outspoken advocates for civil rights. 

Personally, I'd like to say that I agree with Mr. Kluwe. "We're Here! We're Queer! Get Used to Us!" has just as much meaning today as it has throughout the LGBT Rights movement. And while the fact that straight athletes like Kluwe; Brendon Ayanbedejo and Ben Cohen have lent their voices to the cause does a world of good, there are still so many unenlightened and superstitious asshats out there. Yes, the ignorant and therefore, scared seem to be slowly but surely dying out. Straight people my age (my friends already agree and my regular readers have figured that out, long ago) and younger, know how ridiculous it is to be so stupid and backward. Of course, lots of people my parents' ages have long ago agreed, but weren't able to do so publicly, until recent events have proven them to be on the right side of history.

Still... were I a gay athlete participating in the Sochi Olympics or a gay friend and/or family member of a gay and/or straight Olympian, I would completely understand your reluctance to speak out. I may not like it (visibility is our strongest asset), but I would respect your decision to remain silent. 

You can read Kluwe's piece here (via).

And just to keep things weird, here's some Olympic Nonsense:

Zombie-lympics?



It's somehow comforting to know that Rednecks are Universal:



Hmmmm... Does that make Yakov Smirnoff the Russian Jeff Foxworthy? The mind boggles.

More, anon.
Prospero

You have read this article Ben Cohen / Brendon Ayanbedjo / Chris Kluwe / Gay / Hot / LGBT / Nonsense / Olympics / Rednecks / Sochi / Sports / Zombies with the title Sports. You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2014/02/get-kluwe.html. Thanks!

A Very Gay Olympics Quickie

While the competitions officially start tomorrow night, the Opening Ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics aren't for two more days. 

First, I have to ask if anyone is really all that surprised by the two major stories trending on the web, right now? First, are the hilarious horror stories being tweeted from journalists about their unfinished; easily broken; water tainted; heatless accommodations. And I thought I had a bad hotel experience in Chicago, last summer! Of course, foreign war correspondents are understandibly less than sympathetic...

Then there's NBC's story about the prolific electronics hacking taking place among the tourists pouring in from all over:

Oh, dear. Not that I would have gone, but I somehow feel better knowing there is nothing on my phone I wouldn't be willing to share with my 85 year old great aunt. I don't use my smartphone for much more than pictures, calls and texts (and the occasional GPS) and have no fear of my personal and/or financial information being stolen from it.

Listen, I get it. The Olympics are the Oscars for athletes. The winners' names will be recorded for the remainder of Human History (forget about eternity... humans will most likely be extinct long before our sun goes supernova). The participants spend lifetimes preparing to compete and no one should be denied the right to do so. But no one should be afraid to be arrested, beaten or worse, just for being who they are. Thankfully, this video from the Canadian diversity group CIDI ICDI isn't about to let the Russians off the hook quite so easily (via):

As George Takei might say..."Oh, myyyyy!"

I will not be watching the Winter Olympics this year. Not that I would normally, though I occasionally stop while clicking through channels to see the medal count or watch some figure skating (I am so effing gay, I almost can't stand it). This time, though, I think it would feel... icky, to watch, knowing how bad things are for LGBT Russians. It makes me sad that what should be a Celebration of World Unity has instead become a lesson in homophobia, incompetence and an egotistical Tsarist's whims. Personally, I'd be happy to never see Putin's nipples again, for as long as I live.

More, anon.
Prospero

You have read this article Canada / Funny / Gay / Homophobia / Olympics / Russia / Sex / Sports / Technology / The Gayest Thing / Travel with the title Sports. You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-very-gay-olympics-quickie.html. Thanks!

Chris Kluwe; Keith Olbermann; Civil Rights & Tolkien?

Is Kluwe really Thranduil?

Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe is an undeniably valuable straight ally in the continuing fight for LGBT Civil Rights. He and former Ravens' player Brendon Ayanbedjo have almost certainly lost lucrative sports careers over their stances in support of LGBT rights. 

Both Kluwe and Ayanbejo are young, attractive and athletic. Both of them came of age in a very different era than Uncle P and both of them (because of their celebrity) are able to make their opinions available to the public at large in venues that are widely accessible to just about the entire world. Both of them have also had Major League sports careers which will allow them to support themselves for the foreseeable future. Kluwe has even managed to write a book from which he will see residuals for quite some time. 

All of that is fine and well, and even commendable. I will never knock or abrade anyone who understands that being gay is not a choice (as do every one of my friends and most of my family). 

Still... I can't help but note that no matter how much these two support our community, neither of them will ever really know the kind of discrimination, hate and abuse the LGBT community experiences on a daily basis.  Both are attractive and fit and both have very public forums in which to express their views. But both of them are straight and neither of them can truly know the kind of hatred expressed solely because of their innate sexuality (despite the by now far-more accepted bi-racial status of Ayanbedjo). 

Hear me out - No one can know anyone (you should excuse the old adage) until they have walked in another's shoes. Straight supporters or LGBT civil rights are all well and good (and more important to our cause than most of us realize) but they will never really know the kind of hatred directed at the people they support. 

Okay - LGBT Rights rant over, for now. 

On a much sillier note, look at Kluwe's ears in the interview below with long-time LGBT advocate Keith Olbermann. Is it me, or do his ears appear to be nothing less than Elvin? I think JRR would agree...

Yes, Uncle P knows his view of the world is slightly askew, but would you have it any other way? I should hope not. Why else would you be reading my nonsense?

More, anon.
Prospero

You have read this article Brendon Ayanbedjo / Chris Kluwe / Elves / LGBT / LGBT Rights / Nonsense / Ramblings / Rants / Silly / Sports / Tolkein / Uncle P with the title Sports. You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2014/01/chris-kluwe-keith-olbermann-civil.html. Thanks!

Homoerotic Spanish & Pervy Kiwi Advertising (Possibly NSFW Edition)

It's not like advertisers never knew we existed as a target audience. It's just that now it's finally cool to acknowledge our dollars may well be 'pink,' but they're also just as green as everyone else's.

And while neither of these ads is specifically targeting gay audiences, there is a certainly homoerotic quality to the running pants ad (via - link may be NSFW) from Spain's ES Sportswear, I've embedded below. Loaded with crotch and ass shots, butt-slapping, chest-stroking and arm-linking; its rather obvious to whom ES really wants sell their brand.

Then there's this parody commercial purporting to be for product from New Zealand, featuring a spokesperson whose highly exaggerated Kiwi accent turns it into something hilariously and possibly NSFW pervy (also via):

Some NZ folks are unhappy about that clip, while others find it as childishly hilarious as Uncle P did. It was probably made by an Aussie... or a Tasmanian. (Ha! I bet you were expecting a Warner Brothers joke there. Nope! Pwn'd). 

I almost did another Retro-Review of a recent Indy and Oscar favorite tonight, but I'm still mulling parts of it over. There was some beautiful imagery; lots of wry humor and some beautifully underplayed performances, but it all seemed a bit too self-aware. I'll elaborate soon (or not - it all depends).

More, anon.

Prospero

You have read this article Accents / Ads / Commercials / Homoerotic / Hot / New Zealand / Nonsense / Parodies / Sex / Sports / The Gayest Thing with the title Sports. You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2013/09/homoerotic-spanish-pervy-kiwi.html. Thanks!

It's On First

Sadako (Samara in the U.S.)

I have never been the athletic type, nor the kind of person who enjoys watching sports. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule - Olympic swimming, diving, gymnastics and wrestling can provide many hours of entertainment... ooh -- what a give-away! 

Of course, sport in the U.S. is all about competition, machismo and pain (well, at least when it comes to American Football). Baseball, the so-called "Great American Pastime," is just plain boring. But leave it to the Japanese to make baseball interesting. Well, at least the opening pitch. At a recent Japanese baseball game. the opening pitch was thrown by Sadako, the vengeful ghost from the Ringu series of J-Horror movies. This video (from a Facebook friend) says it all:

I would so see a game where Sadako (or Freddy, Jason, Pinhead or Pennywise) threw the opening pitch. Though I doubt they could do it quite as well as Sadako did in that clip. Freddy's glove would shred the ball; Jason would pitch it through the batter's head; Pinhead would throw a puzzle box and Pennywise would just drag the all the players down into the sewer. 

And since we're talking about Japanese horror and Japanese sensibilities, another Facebook friend posted the below clip from a Japanese "Candid Camera" style show:

Hilarious and rather mean, I don't know that I would have fallen for this, especially with the puppeteer's legs so clearly visible. Still, it's a prime example of how Japanese humor and horror seem to go hand in hand. Hmmm... kind of like Uncle P's sense of humor, when you think about it. 

Anyone know where I can get my hands on a velociraptor suit?

More, anon.
Prospero

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The Most Positive Gay Things You'll See This Week

Pope Francis I

I'm torn. Do I write about the story that impacts LGBTQ people here in the U.S. or the the story that impacts LGBTQ people all over the world? I guess I have to talk about both, if I'm going to write about either. Let's start with the whole world, shall we? (Hey - go big or go home, right?)

On his flight back to Rome from Brazil, Pope Francis I gave an impromptu, jovial, no-holds-barred press conference for the reporters on board. And in answering one question, he moved the HRC (no, not the HRC) into the 21st Century. When a reporter asked what he would do if he found out a priest was gay, he responded "Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord? You can't marginalize these people." Of course, this is no way means that Francis thinks gay sex (the biggest hang-up most religious folks seem to have about gay people) is okay, but his answer to that question is probably the most progressive statement ever made by any Pope, ever. Historically, there have been married Popes; adulterous Popes; sadistic Popes and (in 2000-odd years), undoubtedly at least one gay Pope. I mean, come on. 265 men (and possibly 1 woman) have held the title. Statistically, at least one or more of them had to be gay.

Francis is proving himself to be even more "The People's Pope" than the much-beloved (and on the track to Sainthood) John Paul II. Smart, modern and accessible, Francis knows the Church is hurting. In South America, Catholics have been leaving the Church for evangelical congregations, while in the U.S. and Europe, they have been leaving because the Church has refused to evolve on issues like homosexuality, women's rights and birth control. Of course, Uncle P still views all religion as detrimental to progress and an affront to science, but that doesn't mean I hate religious people. I just wish they would wake up and smell reality. Francis seems to at least caught a whiff and that's terrific.

Tim Hardaway

And the other big LGBTQ news comes from retired NBA star Tim Hardaway, who in a 2007 interview said "I hate gay people... I'm homophobic." After spending time at Miami's YES Institute and seeing the way LGBTQ people have been abused, bullied and vilified, Hardaway had an epiphany of sorts. Earlier this month, he was the first person to sign a petition challenging Florida's marriage laws. 

"With what I said, people could think it's OK to throw rocks at them or bully them... I just wanted to make people understand that what I said wasn't cool. I wanted to make amends for it.'' Hardaway says he hasn't become a voice for Equality because he wants publicity (he rarely gives interviews). As a young man growing up in Chicago, he had a gay relative to whom he was apparently close. He says now that his comments were 'thoughtless.'

Wow! A little education goes a long way. And while my faith in Humanity hasn't been fully restored (at least while Vladimir Putin and Robert Mugabe are still spewing ignorance and hate), it has been elevated by the words and actions of two very influential people who have had a change of heart and mind. I still have issues with Pat Robertson, who yesterday said that Trans people aren't sinners, but gay people are (don't get me started about that old fossil), but it is amazing to see the tide turning so quickly and so dramatically. 

We still have a long way to go. Next month, 13 U.S. States will officially recognize same-sex marriage (Yay, Minnesota!). I suspect that Illinois; Pennsylvania; New Jersey; Hawaii and Virginia will be next with Colorado; New Mexico; Nevada and Ohio to follow.From there, it's just a matter of time before America finally embraces everything for which our Constitution stands.

Last week, Queen Elizabeth II signed her approval of Marriage Equality in the UK. New Zealand is likely to be the next country which fully embraces Equality, with Australia probably soon to follow. I now have real hope that before I leave this world, it will be changed for the better in so many ways.

The Roger Waters' song embedded below may be about the end of the Cold War, but I can't help but think it applies here (and the animation by my favorite artist certainly doesn't hurt):

More, anon.

Prospero

You have read this article Basketball / Civil Rights / Equality / Gay / Hope / LGBT / LGBT News / LGBT Rights / Love Is Love / Marriage Equality / Roger Waters / Salvador Dali / Sports / The Gayest Thing / The Pope / Tim Hardaway with the title Sports. You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-most-positive-gay-things-you-see.html. Thanks!

The Gayest Thing You'll See This Week: The Beginning of the End?

Jason Collins

Putting aside my Essential Movie Guide for the night, I had to talk about today's huge LGBT/Sports news. Former Nets, Lakers and Celtics (now a Free Agent) NBA player Jason Collins made history today by coming out of the closet in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated. 

For many weeks, there has been speculation that a group of three or four NFL players might come out collectively, so as to 'soften' the impact. But Collins beat them all to the punch and became the first active professional team sports athlete to embrace and proclaim his queerness. The 33 year old, 7' tall twin says he started thinking about his life during the 2011 NBA shut-out, though he doesn't say why it took him another 2 years to come out. Of course, coming out publicly is a deeply personal and often painful process (though I personally know of no one who has regretted doing so). I was in my mid-30's before I came out to my family (all of whom said they already knew), though all of my friends already knew, so I can totally sympathize with Collins. 

As more and more countries and U.S. States are affirming that LGBT people have the same basic human rights as straight people, Collins' announcement couldn't come at a better time. Not only has he set a precedent for other professional athletes (who I hope will follow his lead), he joins the growing ranks of celebrities who raise both our visibility and (though I hate to use the word) 'normalize' homosexuality. The last ten years have seen great strides in LGBT rights and the last 2 years alone have shown leaps and bounds in people's attitudes about what being gay means. 

Of course, there are still homophobic asshats out there who want us to stay silent and 'repent' for our 'sins.' As an atheist I don't believe in sin. What I do believe in is common decency; human rights; doing good for its own sake and accepting people for who they are. Yes, there are horrible people who want to plant bombs at public events; take out thousands of innocents with hijacked planes and generally destroy all that is good and right in the world, simply because some religious fanatic brain-washed them into doing so. But those people are the exceptions. And yes, there are those who would twist the words of 'holy' books to suit their own needs and persecute those who disagree. Again, these are the exceptions. Seriously, if you believe in "God," how the hell can you say what "He" (or "She") thinks? Get over yourselves, already.

Here's the thing: We are still just at the very beginning of the 21st Century. As more and more famous LGBT people make themselves visible, the more the public at large will realize we aren't freaks, perverts or sinners. We are simply people; living the lives we were born to live; loving the people who make us happy. Isn't that what life is really about, anyway? As we move further into the century's second decade, I can only imagine that things will continue to improve and can very clearly imagine basic human rights for everyone, regardless of sex; race; creed or orientation. I'm very much looking forward to other pro athletes inevitably following Collins' lead and a time when sexuality is no longer a dividing issue. The Bryan Fischers and Maggie Gallaghers of the world have already seen the writing on the wall (you should excuse the Biblical reference) and they are becoming more and more desperate in their attempts to defame and decry our rights as fellow humans. And while I would never deign to deny them their right to believe what they want to believe, I will happily stick out my tongue and make fun of them for being the losers in the fight for what's right.

I am so happy that I am alive to see at least the beginning of the end of homophobia and a new path towards acceptance and understanding. It's been a long time coming and it's actually exciting to see it happening. 

More, anon.
Prospero

You have read this article Equality / Gay / Homophobia / Jason Collins / LGBT Rights / Marriage Equality / NBA / Out Athletes / Out Celebrities / Sports / The 21st Century / The Gayest Thing with the title Sports. You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-gayest-thing-you-see-this-week.html. Thanks!