Sports

A Croatian court has thrown out one of two lawsuits claiming homophobia against Croatian soccer president Vlatko Markovic. Two gay-rights groups brought lawsuits against Markovic last year when he said gay players wouldn’t be on the country’s national team because “only healthy people play football.” Legally, Croatia is one of the friendliest Eastern European countries […]

Johnny Weir Openly gay figure skater Johnny Weir has condemned the choice of Peter Vidmar to be chief of mission for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team in London. Vidmar is a strong opponent of gay marriage. Weir told Phil Hersh of the Chicago Tribune: “I certainly wouldn’t want to be represented by someone who is […]

Dave Kopay, a great friend of both Cyd and myself, needs no introduction to Outsports readers. He is simply one of the great trailblazers in the fight for equal rights for gays and lesbians. For those, though, who aren't as familiar with his story, KCTS in Seattle did an excellent profile of Kopay in a […]

Patrick Burke (left) with brother Brendan. GForce hockey and Patrick Burke held a panel discussion at the American Hockey Coaches Association convention last weekend. The discussion was attended by coaches at all levels of hockey. A full press release on the convention and the group's push to further discussions of gay athletes in hockey is […]

Poor Peyton Hillis. And after such a good season. The fans voted the Cleveland Browns running back onto the cover of Madden 2012, obviously hoping he suffers a season-ending injury in training camp. True, last year Drew Brees didn’t have a terrible season, it just wasn’t as rewarding as his Super Bowl victory the year […]

Lady Gaga and poverty-fighting organization Robin Hood need help giving away $1 million…and one of the five groups in the running is the Hetrick-Martin Institute, “the nation’s oldest social service organization dedicated to serving LGBTQ youth, providing health services, food, counseling, education, career development and H.I.V. and S.T.D. prevention.” Right now the Institute is in […]

Major League Baseball has suspended Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell for two weeks. The suspension comes in response to allegations that the coach made highly inappropriate comments (including homophobic comments) and gestures toward fans during a game at San Francisco on Easter. McDowell apologized for transgressions without admitting to anything in particular. Meanwhile, another […]

In 2011 ESPNW asked a tired question about acceptance of gay players in the NFL. Even then we knew the answer: They will be accepted, even if the players don't know it.

Brandon Stoneham College soccer player Brandon Stoneham writes a terrific coming out story for Outsports and opens with about how he told his coach at Adelphi University. The coach, Carlo Acquista, knows something about the difficulty of coming out through the experience of his younger brother Paolo. “I totally know where [Stonerham’s] coming from because […]

Brandon Stoneham, a Division 1 college soccer player at Adelphi University, struggled with his sexuality and thought about giving up the sport. But with the help of his family, close friends and music that touched his soul, he realized that true happiness lies in being himself. Related story: Stoneham’s coach has a gay brother. By […]

The U.S. Olympic Committee has named Peter Vidmar, a 1984 gold medalist in gymnastics, as its chief of mission for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team in London. In this job, Vidmar will be the liaison officer for the U.S. team in dealing with the International Olympic Committee and London organizers. Vidmar, a Mormon, is an […]

Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell has apologized for his response to heckling fans in San Francisco on Easter. The apology was spurred by accusations by Justin Quinn of Fresno, Calif., that McDowell threatened Quinn with a baseball bat and made homophobic remarks. It's a strange situation, and it's hard to believe everything Quinn is […]

GLSEN has released footage of their ‘Think B4 You Speak’ shoot with Phoenix Suns Grant Hill and Jared Dudley (video after the jump). And what a statement. While the Lakers PSA on the issue buried sexual orientation, these two NBA players talk directly about homophobia and how it affects gay people. Hill says in the […]

Nick Clark is the assistant men’s volleyball coach at Siena Heights University in Michigan. I wrote a profile about his journey from a closeted young man who tried his best to fit in to his flirtations with religion to his acceptance of who he is. In talking to Nick, I found the religious angle fascinating […]

April 29 update: The royal wedding is today and Gareth Thomas is on the guest list. He knows Prince William from William’s role as vice patron of the Welsh Rugby Union. William’s name is also on a trophy for an annual match between Wales and South Africa. I was watching the "Today" show here in […]

We won’t be seeing this scene again this year After the Blackhawks-Canucks game, I started wondering what's a worse way to get knocked out of the playoffs: 1) Lose four straight games or…2) lose three, then come back from the dead to win three, then lose Game 7…in overtime? You gotta feel badly for the […]

Jake Shields is fighting Georges St. Pierre on Saturday for St. Pierre’s UFC welterweight title. This prompted my friend DJ to send me a note saying mixed martial arts fans are always questioning the sexual orientation of both fighters. DJ is right. Start typing in "Jake Shields" into Google and the second recommendation is "Jake […]

Inside Higher Education has a comprehensive look at a research study focusing on seven former college football linebackers, all of whom identify as “non-straight,” and how awful their experiences were while playing. The study by Lawrence J. Mrozek and Elizabeth Burns found: When players were found out, they could become targets. One former student who […]

This is the second story in as many weeks we have of out people finding acceptance in sports in rural Maine. This story comes from popular Bar Harbor, a town of 5,000 people, where transgender sports reporter Emerson Whitney is the go-to sports guy at the Mt. Desert Islander. He talks about showing up to […]

Bar Harbor-area sports reporter raises local eyebrows and finds welcoming arms By Emerson Whitney My gender identity demands a space where the flamboyant and the athletic meet—I am an androgynous trans/genderqueer sports reporter for the Mt. Desert Islander in Bar Harbor, Maine, with a sports beat that sends me onto high school sidelines, into national […]