CONTACT:PO Box 425034Cambridge, MA 02142Tel/fax: (617) 588-0600info@gayconference.orgwww.gayconference.org |
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BOSTON, MA – Fortunately, in today’s schools, gay and lesbian students have more and more places to turn for resources. Unfortunately, these information centers rarely have information for gay and lesbian athletes. Recently, Northeastern University’s Sport in Society has partnered with the Gay & Lesbian Athletics Foundation (GLAF) to change that situation. At the Gay & Lesbian Athletics conference, the two organizations will be hosting two roundtable discussions: one for student athletes and one for coaches and administrators, to talk about and gather insights into the challenges involved in their homophobia training sessions.
In a world that is already tough for gay youth (gay teens are at a 30% higher risk for suicide), the challenges are multiplied for gay athletes. Aside from parents and teachers, no group of adults has a greater impact on a kid’s development than coaches. We are still at a time where coaches regularly motivate their teams by calling them “faggots and queens.”
When Jordan Goldwarg, a skier at Williams College finally decided to come out as gay, he found it “easier to tell people [he] didn’t know so well,” and harder to tell his close friends on his ski team. In fact, his ski team was the last to know. Other athletes may not be as fortunate and may find themselves pushed farther and farther into the closet, and have a harder time relating to themselves. The GLAF is hoping to fill this current void with resources that are not just for gay athletes, but also for athletic communities to become educated. Based in Cambridge, MA the newly formed Gay & Lesbian Athletics Foundation (GLAF) is the first nonprofit organization whose primary mission is focused on acceptance and visibility of gays and lesbians in the professional, amateur, and recreational athletics communities. The organization is also about creating positive role models for society at-large.
Another example of negative reactions towards gay and lesbians in physical education is the case of Ashly Massey, middle school student in southern California, who was singled out for exclusion from participation in gym class for being a lesbian. She will be at the conference in the panel titled “Legal Protection and Action for LGBT Persons in Sport.”
“This is exactly the type of situation that we hope to prevent in the future,” said Mac Chinsomboon, executive Director of GLAF, and an avid rower. Chinsomboon began the foundation with the hope that “by providing education and resources for athletic communities, gay and straight athletes alike can further reap the intrinsic benefits of sport.” These benefits have always included increased self-esteem and body image, as well as problem solving and leadership skills. Because of these, Chinsomboon knows that sport can also be a powerful tool to teach tolerance, how to adjust to adversity, and diversity awareness.
Other activities for middle/high school and collegiate athletes/coaches include the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Project to Eliminate Homophobia panel, the NCAA and SMIA collegiate athletics panel, the GLSEN high school athletics panel, the PFLAG Safe Schools Project roundtable, and the sports clinics for youth. Full project details available at http://www.gayconference.org/program.htm
For more information about the Gay & Lesbian Athletics Foundation go to http://www.gayconference.org .
