Straight Allies in the Sports World: Help or Hindrance?
By Chris Astrala
The dirty little secret about the LGBT sports movement is that it’s not an LGBT sports movement. In every significant area in which you would measure a foundation’s impact in sports — fundraising donations, media presence, resource development, athletic connections — straight men are dominating the landscape. This is especially true in professional sports. The effective role of straight allies is as the supporters, not stars, of the movement. They don’t try to redefine the decades old word ally so that LGBT athletes can fit under their banner. They don’t say, as one high-profile ally recently did, that “there’s no such thing as LGBT rights.” An ally spends his time lifting up the voices of the LGBT community, not his own. When he gets asked to accept awards or speak to the media, he offers the opportunity to LGBT people, or at least shares it with them. It’s about understanding and effectiveness. Good allies understand that. They don’t whitewash our movement, claiming that they are equally affected by homophobia and anti-LGBT laws that, for example, keep same-sex couples from marrying their partners. The following are several outstanding & exemplary allies; thanks guys for your support.
Ben Cohen
One very active straight ally is Ben Cohen, an English rugby world cup champion, who retired to start The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, which “supports organizations, programs and people that advance equality for the LGBT community and help for at-risk youth by standing up against bullying.” Cohen recently stripped down to his underwear to benefit his organization. He said, “No one should have to tolerate that [bullying], no matter what your sexual orientation, the color of your skin, your size or the color of your hair is.”
Brendon Ayanbadejo
Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker, Brendon Ayanbadejo, has been a vocal long-time supporter of marriage equality. The football player blogged about same-sex marriage for The Huffington Post in 2009, made a video for Marylanders for Marriage Equality, and donated Ravens tickets to the cause, which drew criticism from Baltimore County delegate Emmett Burns Jr.
Chris Kluwe
Chris Kluwe, Minnesota Vikings punter, also lashed out at Baltimore County delegate Emmett Burns Jr.in a letter of his own. Kluwe asked in his letter “How does gay marriage, in any way, shape or form, affect your life?”
Hudson Taylor
Hudson Taylor, a three-time all-American wrestler from the University of Maryland, (and HuffPost Gay Voices blogger) started his foundation, Athlete Ally, which encourages “all individuals involved in sports to respect every member of their communities, regardless of perceived or actual sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression,”
Sean Avery
Retired New York Ranger Sean Avery caused a splash last year when he became, what’s believed, the first pro athlete to voice support for gay marriage in New York. Since then, Avery teamed up with fellow ally, Hudson Taylor, joining in Athlete Ally’s message of combating homophobia in sports.
David Pocock
Australian rugby player David Pocock says he will not marry until gay marriage is legal Down Under. “We’ve moved forward on so many issues and this is the next progression,” Pocock said while appearing on the Australian Broadcasting Company TV show “Q&A” in August.
Steve Nash
When Phoenix Suns president and CEO Rick Welts came out to NBA all-star Steve Nash, he said he’d support Welts. Soon after, Nash made a video for HRC’s New Yorkers for Marriage Equality campaign, saying he’s proud to be a part of a growing group of athletes speaking out for gay marriage.
Patrick Burke
Co-Founder of You Can Play, which is a social activism campaign dedicated to the eradication of homophobia in sports, centered on the slogan, “If you can play, you can play.” The campaign was launched on March 4, 2012, by its three co-founders: Patrick Burke (a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers and son of former Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke), Brian Kitts, and Glenn Witman (both of GForce Sports) The campaign was precipitated by the death of Brendan Burke, son of Brian and brother of Patrick. You Can Play is an official partner of the National Hockey League.
Michael Irvin
Michael Irvin, former Dallas Cowboy and NFL Hall of Famer, appeared on Out magazine’s cover last year. Irvin spoke out for LGBT rights and marriage equality, citing his late gay brother’s passing. He also said he would support any athlete in the NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB who comes out.
Scott Fujita
Cleveland Browns player Scott Fujita first voiced his support for gay marriage in 2009, reacting and agreeing with fellow NFL colleague Brendon Ayanbadejo. Two years later, Fujita continued his LGBT advocacy taping a PSA for the HRC’s Americans for Marriage Equality initiative.
Huffington Post & Outsports contributed to this article
