By David Smith
There has been a lot of discussion recently about the status of gay
athletes in professional sports and I've been hearing both sides of the debate about whether
or not a gay athlete would be accepted in a male-dominated team sport--whether
it’s hockey, basketball, baseball or football.
A lot of the issues that plague professional gay athletes are also issues for the rest of us--take locker room etiquette, for example. As an athlete myself, having
competed in the amateur and collegiate levels of sport, my experience has
definitely been varied. For instance, I swim with the local GLBT swim
team here in Denver and, as a Master’s swim team, we compete at various meets and
competitions both locally and nationally, gay-oriented and not. Throughout
my time in competitions I have overheard or have directly been involved with
individuals and people who exhibit homophobia, usually in the form of comments about “the gay team” or something along those lines. For the homophobic individuals in the
competition, my sexual orientation may affect their competition, but it doesn’t
affect mine because I just remind myself that I am here as an athlete. My sexual orientation has nothing to do
with my participation in sport.
But in the world of collegiate swimming, it took
time for me to deal with fears about how my teammates might react--in the locker room, with hotel room assignments during trips, even simple interactions outside of the
pool and team social events. How would I fit in? It took me a little time to
really come out but in that time my teammates got to know me as a swimmer, college
student and person. Initially, the reaction to my coming out was surprise, mostly because I didn’t quite fit into some of their preconceived
stereotypes. And my initial fears
about how my teammates would react were completely unfounded. They realized that I was still the same person I was before, gay or
straight. As time went on and the season continued, I found that my teammates
made more of an effort to abstain from homophobic language, like saying "that’s gay." They put forth an effort to make me feel accepted and part of the
team. It was something I wasn’t expecting and it made me feel more comfortable and more a part of the team. And it helped me realize that my sexual orientation had no effect on my training or performance as an athlete. We were all there for the same reason, to swim.
I continue to participate and compete in a
variety of--sports, swimming, running and triathlon. And while my sexual
orientation doesn’t define me as an athlete, it still
contributes to my overall approach to wellness and is an important reminder that sport
is diverse. People from every single walk of life can participate in one way
or another but it’s too often easy to forget the level of diversity and the
acceptance associated. Seeing professional sports on TV is a constant reminder
that the diversity people recognize is most often external. During my most recent
triathlon, I had a small rainbow flag attached to the seat of my bicycle and
rode proud throughout the 56 miles, not necessarily to make a statement or some
kind of political gesture, but to remind my fellow athletes that an athlete
can be anybody, come from anywhere. Sport is just as diverse as our community,
it is not external by any means, all that matters is how much effort did you
put into it, that you finished strong and gave it your all.
Now I realize that my old fears and apprehensions were
more personal than anything. Although there has been some negative responses to my being a gay athlete, I have found that such interactions have not
been any more or less than you would otherwise experience anywhere else. Our
own stigmas and fears are what prohibit us from partaking fully in events and
allowing us to truly be who we are. With the recent coming out of Jason
Collins, it's time we realize that the sporting community can be much more accepting
than one might realize. While there is definite cause for caution and hesitation, it seems to me that, in the end most people
are more concerned about your success and accomplishments as
an athlete, and less concerned about your sexuality.
David Smith is
the owner of Stonewall Fitness, holds a degree in exercise
science from Metropolitan State University of Denver and holds several
fitness certifications including ACSM Personal Trainer and Group
Fitness.
