When he missed on the Hall of Fame vote again this year, failing to top 50 percent for the third time, Galindo felt some of that rejection all over again. He rarely turned serious during his 15-minute chat with reporters, but he spoke quietly and carefully when asked whether he suspected bias.

“It always comes to the forefront when I don’t get nominated or selected to do something. ‘Is that why?’ ” Galindo said. “That was my whole life growing up in amateur skating. (Not being) the All-American boy. But times have changed. … Still, it’s always in the back of my mind, so I can’t say no.”

Ann Killion at Sports Illustrated adds:

Off the ice, Galindo was a breakthrough figure for skating. He is Mexican-American, raised in a trailer park in San Jose and struggled financially over the years to keep skating. Shortly before his ’96 performance, he came out as a gay man – a revolution in a sport where homophobia remains closeted still. In 2000 he announced he was HIV-positive.

Galindo deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Skating officials were so certain that he would be elected, they planned how to handle and market the event. But he failed to get the required 51 percent of the votes.

Throughout his competitive career, Galindo struggled to be accepted by the figure skating powers. So there’s good reason to speculate that the old guard still doesn’t want to acknowledge his accomplishments.

While figure skating is a stereotypical “gay” sport, the homophobia there is well-documented. Resentment about the stereotype rains down from the mostly straight people running the sport. Four-time U.S. champion Scott Hamilton has not held back at times when talking about gay people. From our friends at Rainbow Ice:

It is clear from [his] book that Hamilton has attempted to do some soul-searching on the issue. “‘Homophobic’ was an accurate description of my feelings toward gay men,” he wrote (p. 192). “I used to joke about the lifestyle, partly because I had spent the previous 16 years fending off the cruel humor directed at me. ‘Fairy,’ ‘sissy,’ ‘faggot,’ I had heard them all.” Hamilton’s story is a clear example of how homophobia affects U.S. male skaters regardless of their personal orientation.

From Hamilton’s general tone, it is difficult to imagine that he will ever be fully pro-gay, but he makes an effort. His final words on the subject (p. 194) deal with the fact that in skating, all things boil down to the essentially personal and honest nature of the sport: “If your sexuality is an important part of your makeup and you want to show it on the ice, then go for it. Do what makes you happy. Some people will like it, and some won’t.”

Even as recently as 2010, homophobia showed its ugly face by keeping Johnny Weir from an Olympic medal.

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“I want to be on Dancing with the Stars,” he tells PEOPLE. “It would be such a blast.” …

“I don’t know about the outfits, but I’ve worn worse,” laughs Louganis, who as a child wore “sequins, headbands and poofy sleeves” for jazz routines. “I’ve never done ballroom but I want to try … Dance really captures something you just can’t put into words.”

The Facebook campaign currently has over 1,500 likes. It would be great to have such a successful gay athlete on the show, so please do head to their page and “like” it too. Past athletes on the show have included Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, Kristi Yamaguchi, Apolo Anton Ohno, Jerry Rice and Kurt Warner.

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To support the campaign the LMA will be sending the HIVsport red ribbon ‘Badge of Hope’ to all 92 league managers and will asking them to  wear the badge over the World AIDS Day period to show their support for the 33 million people living with HIV and AIDS across the world.

“For the past five years the football managers and their association have shown magnificent support in helping to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS,” Andy Harvey, Chair of HIVsport said. “Every manager who chooses to wear the badge does so voluntarily and this is an incredibly powerful message of hope they give to everyone around the world who is affected by HIV and AIDS.”

“We are delighted once again to support this important campaign and to show that the football world can help raise awareness of HIV and AIDS at this time of year,” Richard Bevan, Chief Executive of the LMA, said.

World AIDS Day is Dec.1.

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Part of Outsports’ series on our 100 most important moments in gay sports history.

Figure skating 1996: Prior to the U.S. figure skating championships in 1996, Rudy Galindo had a rough few years. His father died of heart attack, and a brother and a coach died of AIDS. Galindo was himself openly gay (rare in sports, even in figure skating) and he poured all his efforts into the January 1996 U.S. figure skating championships in his hometown of San Jose.

Golden Skate.com captured Galindo well:

Galindo didn’t just come out of the closet—he brought out the high heels, the boa, and the sassy attitude. Or at least he did in many of his exhibition programs. But in order for any of that, Galindo had to become relevant, and he did that in a big way by winning the national title in his hometown of San Jose, Calif.

“When I wasn’t placing well and was getting standing ovations, I was told it was because I was flamboyant and openly gay,” Galindo recalled. “I was in the best shape of my life in 1996, I skated well, and I was rewarded with the appropriate marks.”

After testing positive for HIV, Galindo left competitive skating but continued skating in ice shows and dove into AIDS activism. He still lives in the Bay Area and coaches. But Galindo’s biggest legacy will be his no-apologies statement as an openly gay elite athlete.

“In my heart, I think that I opened some doors for people,” Galindo said. “I think that figure skating now values the more flamboyant skaters under the new system. It is better suited to those who have artistic strengths.”

Here is Galindo’s long program that won him the 1996 title.

For more information:

• Golden Skate 2011 profile of Galindo.

• Rudy Galindo making a difference.

• Galindo’s Wikipedia page.

• Galindo’s website (last updated in 2007).

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I’m proud to take a stand and fight back against the AIDS epidemic. There are too many lives at stake for any of us to ignore the damage and the heartache that HIV has brought to millions of people from all walks of life, including myself.

I am excited to do whatever I can to raise AIDS awareness so that the number of new HIV cases are reduced and make sure that people living with HIV get the health care they need.

I especially want to urge the young men and women of my generation to join me in this commitment by registering, raising pledges and turning out in great numbers for AIDS Walk Wisconsin.

As long as there’s an NFL season, the Packers host the Denver Broncos on Oct. 2, the day after the AIDS Walk.

You can follow AIDS Walk Wisconsin on Facebook.

Hat tip to Garth Z.

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Pau Gasol

Today is World AIDS Day and a good time to reflect on athletes who are doing their best to fight the disease. Two of them are Magic Johnson (former Los Angeles Laker) and Pau Gasol (current Laker). Johnson tested positive for HIV 19 years ago and his struggle against the disease helped motivate Gasol to get involved.

“I was 11 years old at the time,” said Gasol, who grew up in Barcelona. “It had a huge impact on me. At the time, all I knew about AIDS was that it equaled death. One of the best players in the history of the sport that I loved was going to die. That’s what I thought.”

Gasol has traveled to Africa to promote AIDS awareness, contributing both his time and money (Steve Aschburner of NBA.com has a terrific profile of Gasol the activist). Along with NBA players Al Horford and Russell Westbrook and the WNBA’s Candice Wiggins, Gasol has cut a PSA that started running Wednesday (video below).

For Johnson, he is now as known for being a successful businessman and activist as for being a basketball legend. The announcement in 1991 that he had the AIDS virus shocked the world since it was then considered a death sentence. Johnson has not only survived but thrived and Sunday was honored by the AIDS Healtcare Foundation with its first “World AIDS Day Magic” award.

“Who would ever have thought that somebody would admire you and it’s not about basketball,” Johnson told Billy Witz of Fox Sports. “I haven’t played in 15 to 20 years and now when people come up to me it’s never about basketball. I guess I’ve turned the page on another chapter in my life.”

Johnson is focusing his attention on minority communities:

“A lot of people can’t afford to buy their drugs or leave their community to go get tested or get the proper health care,” Johnson said. “We have to educate people, especially in the black and brown community. That’s been my focus through the last 10 years, through the churches, through the schools and through the colleges as well. The numbers are too high. When you think about the new cases, more than 50 percent are African-American. We’ve got to bring those numbers down and work on the stigma as well, (plus) the it-can’t-happen-to-me (perception).”

The NBA AIDS awareness PSA:

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Check out the video after the jump.

Lone Star Ride Fighting AIDS is a two-day, 150-mile, supported cycling event taking place Sept. 25-26, 2010 with multiple riding options allowing participants to choose 45, 75 and 100 mile routes. Founded in 2001, LSRFA benefits AIDS Outreach Center of Tarrant County (AOC), AIDS Services of Dallas (ASD) and the Resource Center Dallas (RCD). Monies raised by the ride are used by the beneficiaries to offer services including housing, hot meals, food pantries, HIV testing, counseling and other basic needs for more than 4,000 clients with HIV/AIDS in North Texas. LSFRA has distributed more than $1.8 million to its three beneficiaries since 2001.

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I am happy to support this year’s GMFA/RVT Gay Sports Day. Sport is an important part of my life and it’s great to see a community come together and enjoy sport in such a fun and accessible way. Plus it raises vital funds for the important work carried out by GMFA and the other charities which will benefit from the day.

I would encourage everyone to form a team and take part or show your appreciation by making a donation on the day. I will personally be donating items that will be part of an auction at the end of the event. Best of luck to all the competitors and have a fantastic day.

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The case, which goes to trial in June, stems from laws selectively used in 32 states that make it a felony for someone who is HIV-positive  to have sex without informing their partner of their status. In Chiacchia’s case, he met a man on a gay dating site in February 2009 and they dated until June. The unidentified man, who says he was HIV-negative at the time, broke off the relationship after discovering Chiacchia’s status and informing the Ocala, Fla., sheriff, who filed charges. The man’s current HIV status is unknown.

Florida is one of at least 32 states nationwide that have criminal statutes specific to H.I.V., many of which date to the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s, when fear of spreading the disease was at its peak. As the science and treatment of H.I.V. and AIDS have changed considerably in the ensuing decades, fear of infection has subsided. However, the laws remain on the books, and prosecutors continue to enforce them. …

A recent survey by the Center for H.I.V. Law and Policy documented at least 50 cases nationwide since January 2008. But laws can be unevenly applied, even within a state. Although records show that at least 71 people have been arrested under Florida’s H.I.V. law since it was enacted, Mr. Chiacchia is believed to be the first in his five-county region to be prosecuted under the law, said the assistant state attorney handling the case.

In 2004, Mr. Chiacchia helped the United States equestrian team win an Olympic bronze medal in the eventing competition in Athens. He was preparing for the Beijing Olympics in March 2008 when his horse tumbled over a jump during a competition. He broke several bones, punctured a lung and sustained a severe brain injury that affects his memory.

While being treated for his injuries at a hospital in Gainesville, Mr. Chiacchia tested positive for H.I.V, according to a sheriff’s report.

I was stunned in reading the New York Times piece that these types of laws are still enforced, including ones that make saliva a deadly weapon when spit by a person with HIV; this despite all medical evidence that you can’t spread HIV this way.

Like all gay men engaging in sex with someone new, Chiacchia’s ex-boyfriend should have assumed his partner was HIV-positive and taken appropriate precautions; by bringing charges, it seems like nothing more than vindictiveness for a relationship that did not work out.

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A lot of things have changed for LGBT community, since I publicly came out in June, 1990. Most of these changes are for the better. As a country, we have a ways to go in terms of achieving full equality for gays, lesbians and transgendered citizens, but huge strides have been made in terms of fighting discrimination and gaining acceptance. Homophobia is still a major problem in the US and in major league baseball – just look at how many professional baseball players are “out!” NONE!! However, as I travel the country giving talks at corporations, universities and conferences, I see that LGBT people are living freer, more open lives than ever before.

Unfortunately, some of the most important things have not changed at all. Gay and bisexual men are still severely impacted by HIV and AIDS. Almost half of the people with HIV/AIDS in the US are gay or bisexual men. More importantly, the number of HIV diagnoses among gay and bisexual men is rising every year. Gay and bisexual men are the only demographic where this is happening.

So I’m writing this blog post, in observance of Gay Men’s HIV Awareness Day, in order to raise awareness for this issue. There are a lot of reasons why gay men are more affected by HIV/AIDS than any other demographic: a lot of guys are unaware of their HIV status, so they transmit the disease without knowing it. Some of the younger generation thinks that HIV is a “manageable” disease. Also, homophobia and stigma prevent people from getting access to HIV prevention services. As someone who had a career in professional baseball, I understand how hard it is to face discrimination in both your workplace and your community. We can’t let these challenges stop us from living healthy and full lives. So we need to get the word out, take action to protect ourselves and our partners, and reach out to our gay brothers to let them know we care.

What can you do to help out?

o If you’re unsure of your HIV status, get tested (for nearby testing locations sites, visit www.HIVtest.org). Also, encourage your friends to get tested

o Talk with your friends about HIV; share your own experiences and stories by posting on our Facebook page.

o Update your Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter site with an Awareness Day message:
“I know my status. Do you? Check out http://tinyurl.com/updateyourstatus”
“28,700 gay men were diagnosed with HIV last year. Get the facts at http://tinyurl.com/updateyourstatus”

o Learn more about HIV/AIDS at the web pages of the National Association for People With AIDS, the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the CDC.

o Visit our Facebook page for information & insights from Perez Hilton, Kenneth Cole, former NBA player John Amaechi, Noah’s Arc cast member Doug Spearman, and more.

As an umpire I used to say “I’m not always right but I’m never wrong!” Well, I am not wrong about this!! Get tested! Know your status! Step up to the ‘plate’ and do the right thing for you, your partner and your community.

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