Gay Stigmas

I was inspired by the story of John Amaechi. John Amaechi is a former NBA hall of famer who we discussed in class because of his sexual orientation. His sexual orientation as a gay man within the professional world of sports is not exactly something that is commonly accepted. The fact the males in professional sports are placed on a pedestal for hegemonic masculinity may compromise a players worth and eligibility on a team if he is to come out. This is because of the common stereotype that homosexual males are considered to be feminine and will never fit the ideal mold of a hegemonic male. It is as if a homosexual is less than that of a male, and I think that is why most men who are gay and in the professional sports profession wait until they are retired to reveal that they are gay. Revealing while they are still playing may hurt the perceived emotion that people are supposed to get while watching sport and idolizing their favorite player. But why can people idolize a gay man or get just as excited seeing them slam dunk a ball as they would Michael Jordan? I think this all relates to peoples fear of homosexuality, they want to disconnect themselves in order to steer away from gay stigmas that other homophobes would respond to. However, I believe that the more that the cycle is broken, and more people come out that they are gay while holding respectful or even contradictory positions such as male professional sport the more people will not discriminate. Amaechi’s story is amazing. I went to his homepage and it stated that he started playing when he was 17 years old and currently he is a motivational speaker as well as promotes charities for a living. I think that a lot of people would admire his accomplishments and he can be that hero to little boys or girls that think its too late to become good at something. However, the public needs to look past the gay man they first see and view him as the person that he really is.