Daily Star: Lacrosse Player Comes Out

Andrew McIntosh aims to destroy doors on gay closets, and he started with his own.

Last year, as a newly appointed lacrosse team captain at SUNY Oneonta, McIntosh said he wrestled with suicidal thoughts until he decided to talk about being a gay man.

First, he told a close friend from high school and his sister. Since then, he told his coach, Dan Mahar, and fellow captains.

On Feb. 15, McIntosh told his teammates, the same day Outsports.com, an online gay sports community, published his article, “College lacrosse player comes out to his team.’’

McIntosh, 22, of Putnam Valley, said he intended to answer individual questions when asked about his sexuality instead of telling the entire team, but then he realized teammates would be reading his essay.

“Being honest is very important to me,’’ McIntosh said, “and I wanted them to hear it from me and not from anyone else.’’ Mahar said he is proud to say there has been no hint of negativity from players.

Read more at: The Daily Star!

It’s good to know athletes are STARTING to come out and are being accepted. A sure sign the times are changing!

Judge Mathis Speaks OUT About Being Gay

Of course this made for TV courtroom show has some great humor…but the underlying message…”be who your are”, is something that makes me really happy to see. Props to Judge Mathis! I think these two are a cute couple! I wish they’d kiss and make up!

Hate From Beyond the Grave

John’s stepmother passed away at a ripe old age after a long illness, John knew that he and his siblings stood to inherit some money. His father, who had passed away six years before had left all of his assets to his wife, with the understanding that when she passed away, the remaining money, property, and real estate were to be divided equally among the children (both his and hers).

The reading of the will is where this story gets interesting…and takes its slap-in-the-face turn.

John and his siblings and step-siblings inherited a nice chunk of change.

But John’s amount was less than everyone else’s. $13,000 less.

Why? Because thirteen years ago, John came out to his father. The coming out was a watershed moment coming after years of struggle (and a marriage to a woman and two children). But John, like many gay men who marry and hide in the closet, could no longer live a lie.

John’s father didn’t see it that way. He saw it as a choice, a choice that was morally unsound and that would surely send his own son straight to hell. Never mind that John was an upstanding member of his community, a devout Christian, a caring and loving father (both before and after his divorce), and a loyal and compassionate friend to all who knew him. Because he accepted himself for who he was, John’s father wouldn’t accept his own son any longer.

More of this true story at: In Cold Blog!

Don’t Come Out? Advice from a Gay Athlete

According to a post on Out Sports Jock Talk Blog:

Openly gay former NBA player John Amaechi has dropped a bit of a bomb, telling the Daily Telegraph he would recommend that active professional soccer players stay in the closet.

I personally have spoken to 10, 12 current professional footballers who are gay, they exist, I promise you. As it happens none of them have asked me if they should come out. But if they did, I would tell them not to. I’m not a gay right activist. I don’t insist that they be a Joan of Arc. Why? Because that is what would happen: they would get burned at the stake. And how does that help anyone?

When asked if he was being a little dramatic, he said no.

Amaechi has long painted a deeply dire picture for openly gay athletes, but it’s the first time I’ve ever heard him say he doesn’t think they should come out. They’ll be burned at the stake? Even as hyperbole, there’s no evidence for that whatsoever. Thirty years ago, sure. But attitudes have changed, gay people can marry in England, more and more athletes come out all the time as pro-gay, the sports media is getting more welcoming of gay topics, etc…. There’s no questioning the fact that gay people are not accepted as equals in our society. But burned at the stake is a really strong overstatement, given how many active college athletes and former pro athletes have been warmly embraced.

Now, I for one have a problem with this.  I am borderline appalled that an OUT former athlete would advise anyone to NOT come out of the closet.  This is one of the greatest problems the LGBT community faces…people, especially those in the public eye, staying in the closet.

LGBT youth need role models.  LGBT adults need role models.  At the risk of pissing some people off, the LGBT community as a whole needs representation other than how we are currently portrayed in and by the media.

Not all gay men are flamboyant or effeminate.  Not all gay men are fashion designers, florist or hair stylist, nor do many have an interest in such.  In fact, I would venture to say the “stereotypical” gay man is a minority within the LGBT community, but because they have been the ones strong enough to come out, they are the ones who end up representing the whole.  Where are our strong gay athletes?  Where are our strong gay farmers and fishermen?  Where are our beer drinking, Thursday night bowling, city league playing gay men?  Well, many are still in the closet…and why?  Because of attitudes and statements just as what’s been reported.

Whether an athlete, actor, or musician.  If you are in the public eye, you have a duty and responsibility to come out.  Not only is it the right thing to do for yourself, but for all you other LGBT brothers and sisters who need your representation.

Just as it goes with everything else, will it be a big deal?  Perhaps, but just as with everything else “new”, once it’s no longer new, it becomes part of the norm, and THAT is where we, the LGBT community needs to be, part of the norm, not an abomination, not a “special” group, but simply part of the human race.

Today is Iowa Gay-Straight Alliance Day

Even in today’s world, coming out can be a huge risk, especially for our LGBT youth. Many gay and lesbian teens who do come out can find themselves ostracized by teachers, peers and even family. However one state is being proactive in helping their LGBT youth.

Iowa’s Governor Chet Culver has proclaimed today, Wednesday, January 27 “Iowa Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Day.”

The state’s Lieutenant Governor, Patty Judge, read Culver’s official proclamation Tuesday night during Iowa Pride Network’s GSA Kick-Off Party held in downtown Des Moines.

The day’s events are planned by the Iowa Pride Network, a state-wide non-profit that assists students in starting and enhancing GSA’s in high schools and colleges, offering them a statewide network of support including mentoring, advocacy and networking opportunities.

The Iowa Pride Network also helps to fight intolerance against LGBT students in by educating both law makers and teachers on issues that LGBT students face. The group also provides advocacy for LGBT students at the state and local levels.

The proclamation has been viewed by many LGBT equality advocates as a small, yet important victory in the struggle for equality as Democrats in Iowa are feeling added pressure from conservatives who want to put the Iowa Supreme Court’s recent ruling in favor of marriage equality up for a vote. Republicans have been using the court’s decision to build their campaign, promising that if elected in 2010, they will allow the public to decide the issue by popular vote. State Democrats however, including Culver, have not backed down under the pressure and continue to support the court’s decision to legalize marriage equality.

This is the fourth year Iowa GSA Day has been observed.

More about the Iowa Pride Network by CLICKING HERE!

Iowa Pride Network from BARK-BARK on Vimeo.

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