Typical Stereotypes Of Gay Athletes In The Locker Room

A few weeks ago San Francisco 49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh, was asked how he would react to having a "gay player" on the team. In a powerful statement he replied, "I ask all players to play through their own personality and be who they are. What you ask of a player is to be a great teammate and be a good player. My expectations would be the same." (Source: blog.sfgate.com)

Bravo Jim and thanks for being "human" in your response. Ironically, if you were to remove all references to the word "player," and replace it with "person," "someone" and "people," what more could you ask of anyone, gay or straight.

"I ask all people to play through their own personality and be who they are. What you ask of a someone is to be a great person and be a good person. My expectations would be the same."

I realize it's not exactly grammatically correct, yet it does make a point! When you remove the label player and substitute it with other words in the sentence, suddenly it becomes a win/win and is simply about humanity.

Ironically, most of the teammates supported the coach's perspective, except for those who said they felt leery about changing and showering with a gay teammate. Really? Shall we go back to high school and cover up our groins because we're teen boys who feel inferior because our "junk" is not as developed as someone else's?

Where does it say in the gay handbook, "Thou shalt covet thy fellow players penis and bubble butt?" Yes, I love a well built man with a good physique in uniform but that doesn’t mean because I'm gay I'm going to jump your bones in the locker and drag you into the shower and have my way with you! Hands down, this is one of the most stereotypical assumptions that gets made each and every day about homosexuals and even more so about gay men.

Yet, these same players (yes I know I'm generalizing) wouldn't think twice about undressing the first hot chick with their eyes who stumbled into the locker room by accident while trying the find the ladies room. Funny how as long as it’s heterosexual and objectifying women then it's ok! Wrong! Us gay men have dignity too and we can tell you how to have all the right moves when it comes to making assumptions about us.

• Not all gay men drop to their knees at the sight of a penis! So get over it and quit dreaming.
• Emotions and wanting more beyond the "climax" isn't just a woman thing. Admit it, even you straight guys want more.
• Touchdowns and beer do not discriminate so why should you. It's about being a team and going for the win.
• There are players on both sides of the fence. They play, they get off, they move on. Doesn't mean everyone plays that game.

Once the cheers have gone silent, the stadiums and arenas are left to the cleaning crews and the uniforms go to the laundry, one thing remains the same ... we're all human and we should all be given the freedom to be who we are.

As cornerback Tarell Brown said, "I just feel like, you shouldn't hide it. At the end of the day don't be embarrassed with what you are or what you do. If you are that way, that's you.” (Source: blog.sfgate.com)

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