Gay sports writers?

I was just reading the "Tim Hardaway is an asshole" thread on the other board and thinking about gay athletes in the locker room when another thought came to mind.

What do you think the level of tolerance would be in the newsroom toward a gay sports writer? I know newsrooms are typically pretty liberal when compared to society at large, but I wonder if the sports department might be different from news or entertainment or wherever. As has been stated many times during this Amaeche debate, the world of athletics is one of the last true bastions of machismo and male posturing, where someone in the locker room is bound to be offended by his teammate being gay. So does this carry over at all to sports writing? Are sports writers thought of as being heterosexual because they work in the world of sports? And if it became widely known that a sports writer was gay, would athletes say they didn't want him in their locker room? And have any of you ever worked with an openly gay sports writer?

 

I don't shower with my colleagues.

 

Perhaps this will help you.
It's the homepage for The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association.

http://www.nlgja.org/

 

I'm sure they're out there. To my knowledge I've never worked with one, but given how uncomfortable a lot of athletes are with homosexuality, I imagine most sportswriters who happen to be gays stay in the closet for the same reason most athletes do.

 

I had a gay plumber come today. It was...odd, in such a macho profession as well.

Anyway, I think gay writers would be accepted fine in their newsrooms, but they might not do as well on their beat.

 

I think we're mostly past this now, but it has been assumed that I'm gay because I'm a woman and I work in sports.

 

OK. Here's my take on gays in locker rooms. I have no problem with it as long as everyone is clothed.

It should be noted first, I have two longtime gay close friends.

I'm liberal. I'm all for gay marriage. I'm not homophobic.

But, here's the thing:

Men cannot go into a women's locker room to conduct interviews while the women are showering or naked. Presumably because men would be or could become aroused sexually. It's natural, men are attracted women -especially naked women. And, vice versa.

So, if a man who is sexually aroused by men, why should that gay man be able to view men naked in the shower? Or even shower with them?

Case in point, and true story:
My friend had a gym membership at a major chain in a major city. Of all the people in the city much less the world, chance would have it that the desk clerk/towel boy is an out-of-the closet gay man we went to high school with. Said gay man would deliberately walk into the men's shower/locker room and look directly at my friend's manhood, package, what have you - just because he could. He's man going into a man's locker room - but he was doing so for all the wrong reasons.

Now, imagine a straight man walking into a women's shower and doing the same thing.

Does that make sense?

I'm not saying all gay men (athletes and reporters included) are in locker rooms to simply look at other naked men. But, even I have to admit, engaged and all, I still know - and look at - a beautiful woman when I see one. I'm attracted to them, just like gay men are likely attracted to good looking men.

EDIT: And no, I'm not uncomfortable with naked men, nor am I unsure of my "manhood" or sexuality. I played hoops in high school and college, and I've showered with plenty of guys in doing so.

 

Sounds like that should be one of the Village People characters.

 

So gay men should not be allowed on sports teams? Or they should be required to go to a separate locker room to shower and change? Seems like it would have to be one of the two.

 

Well, that's the tricky part. Personally, I couldn't care less if a gay guy was showering right beside me. However, I can see why some straight men wouldn't be comfortable.

But in theory, I always come back to this: Should/could a straight man shower beside a woman? Or should/could a straight man interview a naked woman athelte?

Straight men are attracted to naked women, presumably.
Gay men are attracted to naked men, presumably.

I'm not gay, and I've by told by both my gay friends gay men wouldn't be attracted to me and know right away I'm straight, so I don't know if all gay men are attracted to or aroused by all naked men. But it seems to reason they would be. No?

EDIT: I'd never ever say they couldn't be or shouldn't be on a sports team. Pro sports is still a business. A gay man, if good enough to do the job, has every right to do the job. Just like a gay man can work on an assembly line as well as a straight man.

 

No.

And here's why: Most of us, I would hope, grow out of instant arousal by the sight of bare skin (whether you're attracted to men or women). You can't control it when you're 14. But then you grow up.

If you're not professional enough to handle being around naked athletes without becoming aroused, then you shouldn't be in a locker room at all.

So no. Your argument doesn't apply.

 

I myself am very happy to be a sports writer.