Blog #2: psychological issues of gay and lesbian athletes

When most people think of discrimination in sport they think of racial or gender issues, not those of sexual orientation. For although no one typically thinks of this issue and assumes everyone participating in sport is heterosexual, they could in fact be homosexual. Male athletes could be gay, and female athletes could be lesbians. The sad part is that these individuals usually hide their sexual identities because they are afraid of what others will think. They are afraid they will be excluded, unaccepted and discriminated against for sharing who they really are with others.
One reason homosexuals usually hide their sexual identities from other people is because they fear homophobia or homophobic behavior will be directed towards them. Homophobic behavior results in harmful actions towards people who are homosexual, or organizations that support them. This behavior includes name calling, physically assaulting or vandalizing homosexual’s personal property. A less severe type of discrimination would be homophobia. Homophobia is where an individual is mentally bugged by the fact that another individual is homosexual. People who have homophobia do not physically harm anyone, but they think that homosexuals should chose not to be that way and therefore are intolerant of them.
Athletes believe that letting others know of their sexual orientation will hold them back and therefore hide it. In recent decades, the media has been trying its hardest to overcome issues regarding sexual orientation, mostly by not bringing up the subject and treating everyone as equal. Maybe one day these ideas and behaviors will vanish, but for now our society has to do its best to “shake” these ideas from schools, physical education places, teachers, coaches and students at all levels. For what we learn when we are young usually stays with us for life.