Gay athletes deserve to be treated the same as regular athletes. A young basketball player name Derrick Gordon came out as gay and he was very scared that people would treat him differently. He was worried that he would lose his spot on the team and people would disrespect him. Mr. Gordon decided to tell “his mother and father, who embraced him. This is who I am” said Gordon. (Powell). Gordon treated really well when he came out. He was proud that his family and friends believed in him and let him be him. On the other hand, at the NFL combine, an event where the best college prospects meet to show off to scouts a reporter asked a player, “Do you like men.” Many believed that “it should never have come to the point where he had to reveal anything about his sexuality.” (Hine). This question created great controversy. Many were unhappy that a players sexsuality mattered to these NFL teams. This is a case where gays were not treated the same as others.
Robbie Rogers- Openly Gay Soccer Player
This issue of rights for gay athletes is similar to Civil Rights because both the blacks and the gays were treated badly by other groups. “Arkansas governor Oral E. Faubus had the Arkansas National Guard, surrounded the building to keep out the students.” (Landau). The black students were treated horribly and it made many people mad that the National Guard forced the blacks to stay out. These black children were not treated with respect and this shows that the blacks did not have equal rights.
In a serious debate in the Miami Dolphins locker room, Richard Incognito and his teammate Jonathan Martin, Martin who is openly gay was made fun of and he was abused. “Martin’s friendship with Incognito and his own vulgar and inappropriate banter was consistent with the behavior of a victim of abusive treatment.” (Abcarian). Martin was physically and mentally harassed during his time with the Dolphins. After he told the team he was gay, players would not talk to him or shower with him near. Martin was treated like a complete new person which should not be the case.
The topics of gay rights and Civil Rights contrast because most people in the world today are for gay rights, while in the 1950’s there were many completely against giving blacks rights. It is known that over three fourths of the people are for gay rights. The blacks were “beaten with sticks and clubs…”(Landau). There was a very large group of Americans that were against rights for blacks and they would beat blacks or anyone supporting the blacks.
On the other hand an openly gay athlete stated, “I received overwhelming love and support from people and that filled me with pride.” (Hine). Almost all gay athletes are treated with love and they are respected the same. This is how it should be because they are still the same people. There is no reason to treat someone differently because of their sexuality. These athletes are still the same people now as they were before. They have the same abilities and they can still be stellar athletes.
To help make sure these gay athletes get the rights they deserve, you can donate to orginazations such as American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Campaign. The American Civil Liberties Union is a volunteer resistance movement to help gays get the rights they deserve. At this point “there is no other organization that can match our record of making progress both in the courts of law and in the court of public opinion.” (American Civil Liberties Union). Another great website to donate to is the Human Rights Campaign. This campaign consists of more than 1.5 million LGBTQ supporters. This group tries to ensure LGBTQ members rights and freedom. (Human Rights Campaign). Both of the groups are excellent and a donation to either of them would greatly help these gay athletes.
Works Cited
http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/aeb62ad11096a30dd06e101b35deb3a0bd7289c6.jpg
"LGBT Rights." American Civil Liberties Union. Web. 22 Mar. 2017.
Campaign, Human Rights. "Advocating for LGBTQ Equality." Human Rights Campaign. Web. 22 Mar. 2017.
Hine, Chris. "NFL Still in Closet about Anti-gay Culture." Chicagotribune.com. 10 July 2016. Web. 22 Mar. 2017.
Landau, Elaine. Civil Rights Movement in America. 2003. Print
Powell, Michael. "Gay Athlete Encounters Divisive Indiana Law, and Support." The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 Apr. 2015. Web. 22 Mar. 2017
Robin Abcarian | This Post Has Been Corrected. "Just as We Thought: Richie Incognito Bullied Jonathan Martin." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2017.
http://thebiglead.com/2014/02/03/here-are-over-1000-text-messages-that-richie-incognito-and-jonathan-martin-allegedly-exchanged/
http://www.businessinsider.com/brittney-griner-basketball-china-2014-4
https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/the-lgbt-juggernaut-threatens-the-very-existence-of-our-entire-human-rights
https://www.britannica.com/event/American-civil-rights-movement