Friday was the national Day of Silence, where students across the country took a vow of silence to bring attention to bullying and other harassment of LGBT youth. Craig Cassey, whose blog, Craig’s Gay Word, we have featured before, has an excellent post up about what the day meant for him, now that he is [...]
Posts under ‘Track & Field’
Carl Lewis is running…for New Jersey Senate. Will he address his sexual orientation?
Olympic superstar Carl Lewis on Monday announced his candidacy for the New Jersey State Senate. He didn’t shy away from the obvious double entendre in his announcement: “When I run, as you see my record, I run to win,” he said at a news conference Monday in Mount Holly in Burlington County. “I’m slower than [...]
Ex-athlete talks about being gay at BYU
In the wake of the suspension of basketball star Brandon Davies for having premarital sex with his girlfriend, BYU’s honor code has been in the news. Which led to questions of how it is to be a gay athlete at BYU. I interviewed a former BYU athlete, briefly on the football team and a star [...]
High school athlete lists 3 reasons to come out to your coach
I continue to be impressed with Craig Cassey, the Pennsylvania high school track athlete whose blog, Craig's Gay Word, is a must-read for anyone interested in what it's like be a gay teen athlete. His latest post lists three reasons to come out to your coach. It may seem unimaginable, why would you want to [...]
‘It Gets Better’ video: SF Frontrunners
We have been seeking sports-related videos for the “It Gets Better” project and the latest comes from the San Francisco Frontunners: Share on Facebook
Gay high school track athlete helps teachers combat bullying at his school
Last week I wrote about how an openly gay track athlete in Pennsylvania needed some tips on how to address teachers at an anti-bullying seminar at his high school. The athlete, Craig Cassey Jr., has now blogged about the presentation he made with other students. It moved many teachers to tears. “I’m proud of you, [...]
Gay high school athlete asks: How can teachers help LGBTQ students against bullying?
Last week, I introduced you to Craig Cassey Jr., a Philadelphia area openly gay high school athlete who started a blog, Craig’s Gay Word. Craig is now asking for advice on how teachers can assist in the fight against bullying. Craig posted this: Whether you went to school in the 1950s or are a current [...]
High school athlete blogs about anti-gay slurs
What do you do when you’re a gay high school track athlete and members of an opposing relay team say that “fags can’t race track”? Or when your coach says to a teammate, “You wouldn’t want to get beaten by some random homo”? These happened to Craig Cassey Jr. and he decided to write about [...]
Carl Lewis on Martin Luther King and sacrifice
Carl Lewis is one of the people lending his voice to the remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr. this weekend with a column at the Huffington Post. Lewis was my first sports hero; His four-gold performance at the 1984 Olympics captured my imagination and started me off on a wonderful six-year varsity running career. Part [...]
Gay teen athlete’s coming out letter to parents
Brad is a 16-year-old high school sophomore in the Pacific northwest. He runs for his school’s cross-country and track teams and is gay. He plans to attend college, major in either pre-med or international relations and be a competitive athlete. I can vouch for Brad’s identity and that is his picture. I have seen his [...]
A runner comes out, then goes back in
For my money the strangest story we covered in our 10 years (and there were a few that qualify) was the 2002 story of University of Missouri runner and track coach Derrick Peterson (who asked to be called “Deric” for the article). I was the sports editor of Genre magazine at the time (Andy Towle [...]
Weekend Hot Jock: Janis Leitis
At Outsports we are huge fans of the awesome sports photo site Trackpic. When I peruse the galleries I always stumble across some new hot jock. The latest is Janis Leitis, a 21-year-old long jumper from Latvia. These photos were taken at the European track and field championships this summer in Barcelona. Share on Facebook
Weekend Hot Jock: Sprinter Jared Connaughton
Thanks to Brent for these shots of Connaughton, a Canadian who runs track for the University of Texas-Arlington. Connaughton, 25, ran this month at the Commonwealth Games in India for Canada and finished fourth in the 200 meters. Photos: Share on Facebook
Michigan athletes support gay student president
University of Michigan student body president Chris Armstrong has come under attack recently from Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell simply for being gay (Shirvell’s hateful blog is now readable by invitation only). But athletes from football, baseball, hockey, gymnastics, rowing, softball and many other sports aren’t standing for it. Instead, they have posed for [...]
British royalty ogles hot jocks
Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and wife of Prince Charles, had a nice encounter in India with two shirtless muscular jocks competing at the Commonwealth Games (see photo here). The Duchess of Cornwall can’t entirely blame her blushes on the searing Indian sun. Camilla appeared delighted to meet two toned athletes as they prepared for [...]