A big step in the anti-homophobia movement in sports and society
In Western Society we have slowly began the long transition from a culture once discriminatory towards homosexuals to a culture increasingly more exposed, understanding and accepting – a long overdue process. Yet as a society we are not homogenous in this movement, demonstrated overtly by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin recently passed the controversial anti-gay legislation just a couple months before the 2014 Winter Olympic games are set to begin – an event that is meant to embody diversity and camaraderie in our otherwise divided world.
These actions have really stoked the fire on the issue, inspiring TSN’s analyst Aaron Ward to create a powerful documentary entitled ReOrientation. This documentary brings to light the of issues of homophobia in sports through a compelling and thought provoking collection of interviews with athletes and executives from major sports leagues across North America.
ReOrientation focuses on a form of discrimination by which they call “casual homophobia.” This type of homophobia is not an explicit form of hatred or discrimination towards homosexual people, but rather an implicit slander through the use of weighted insults like, ‘that’s so gay’. Patrick Burke of the You Can Play foundation acknowledges the common argument that the use of these words does not necessarily mean you are a homophobe, but warns us in saying “There is significant weight behind these words when you use them. If you have a closeted gay teammate, all he hears is ‘He doesn’t have my back.’” Burke knows quite intimately the effects of casual homophobia, as his younger brother Brendan made the difficult decision to come out of the closet during his time playing college hockey in Miami. Tragically, Brendan’s life was cut short due to a car crash in 2010, but his legacy as a trailblazer for the lesbian and gay community was honoured with the creation of the You Can Play project, supporting and promoting gay athletes in all sports.
The devastating effects of homophobia in the locker room are revealed to us through emotional interviews with current and former gay athletes. Esera Tuaolo, an imposing defensive tackle played nine seasons in the NFL and never revealed who he truly was. “I woke up every single morning praying to God no one would find out I was gay” said Esera, with a look of pain in his eyes. “I wanted to kill myself, many times. Because I felt so alone.” It is unacceptable that Esera, and presumably many other athletes have had to live a life of fear as a result of this culture of “masculinity” in sports. Patrick Burke explains that there is a major fallacy in sports that you cannot be gay and masculine at the same time.
However, we are turning a corner on the issue of homophobia in sports, but the need for more trailblazers like Brendan Burke is crucial. There are currently two openly gay athletes in major North American sports leagues; Robbie Rogers from Major League Soccer and Jason Collins from the National Basketball Association. Robbie Rogers was the first openly gay athlete to play in a North American professional sport, and couldn’t be happier about his decision to come out. “It felt amazing. Fans would come up to me and say, you’re changing the world for me” says Rogers, who continues to play professional soccer for the LA Galaxy.
It is both shocking and tragic that the world of sports is so far behind the rest of Western society in that the players are forced to live in fear and secrecy simply because of their sexual orientation. Understandably, the weight of being among the first athletes to come out and say that they are gay is a big burden and adjustment, but there is a cultural shift taking place being ushered in by guys like Collins, Rogers, and Brendan & Patrick Burke. Aaron Ward deserves high praise for the creation of this documentary, helping to pave the way along with the athletes in the film for others to free themselves from the proverbial closet and live life on their own terms.