Whether we are conscious of it or not, we are taught from a very early age to associate physical performance with masculine attributes. If a person is bigger, stronger, tougher, etc. then that person will perform better and is even someone that we should emulate and look up to.
While many people would refuse to believe that a homosexual is capable of possessing these attributes, they are more than able to be competent and exceptional athletes. But we have been raised in a "Puritanical" society that deems this to be a negative. This can be an incredibly stressful issue for the homosexual athlete. He wishes to excel in his sport and maybe even be looked upon as a role model by others. But because of the fear he feels, he often must lie or be shunned by his fellow athletes. There have been no openly gay male professional athletes that play in play in a major team league such as the NFL, MBA or NBA. Any athletes that have come out do so after their career is over. Often times when the heterosexual members of a team discover one of their team mates is gay, this causes a sense of betrayal. They actually feel "violated" by this new information. Again we see evidence of the conditioning this society has placed upon us. The psychological effects of "living a lie" can be profound upon a person. He may look back on his life with regret and he may have a difficult time finding happiness.
How do we solve this problem? There may not be one true solution, but the best hope lies in better education. We must teach the new generation that homosexuality is not a bad thing and put an emphasis on not just tolerance, but acceptance. If we do this, perhaps the next generation will be better prepared to accept everyone for who they are.
KIN 339I
Jonathan Cocco
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Its odd, that on the other side, lesbian athletes are looked at as so dominant in most of the sports that they play. Also, if a female athelete is so talented, she is assumed to be a lesbian. From some of the female atheletes that I know who play in a collegate level, very few were lesbian. On the other hand, two of the better girls on one of the soccer teams I followed, happened to both be lesbians. Alongside this, I remember in high school that female basketball and softball players were thought of to be lesbians as well. To me, I feel it is all just a stereotype, like male dancers and cheerleaders. I think that in the end of it all, we choose the things that we enjoy. For instance, I am a straight male, and I enjoy playing baseball and soccer. Dancing is fun, but it's not something I can picture myself practicing day in and day out. I am no where near talented at it, there fore i just stick to simple dancing, like line dancing. Ballet is way out of my reach.
ReplyDeleteI actually have this conversation often with my gay friends in regards to male athletes in masculine sports such as baseball and basketball. It sucks because stereotypes of guys being gay who are dancers or cheerleaders are seen as expected. For example, if a guy came out who was a cheerleader or dancer, it wouldn't be a surprise. But if a guy on the baseball team did, it would be a total disgrace and lose respect from his teammates.
ReplyDeleteI have heard stories of guys on teams that have esperimented, but of course, it was always supposed to be kept a secret or no one could believe it. This creates a psychological problem for the athlete because they don't know how to be truly be themselves. For some reason, it's expected for male cheerleaders and dancers to be gay and women basketball players to be lesbians, but a masculine guy who is gay is generally unbelievable and shocking and unaccepted.
It all comes down to perception and norms in society. Homosexualty is a norm for some people yet taboo for others. I don't believe people choose their sexual orientation because if you think about it, people who are straight didn't choose to be, so why do we assume gay/lesbian people chose to be that way? When people begin to understand and accept or tolerate the differences in sexuality, the more people can open up and truly be themselves.
Vanessa Reyes
M 7-945
kin339i