SPORTS Archives | Page 186 of 193

LGBT athletes in college sports more than ever before.

August 25, 2017 compassq Comments Off

On Sept. 2, Kansas State lineman Scott Frantz is likely to become the first out LGBT athlete to compete in a Football Bowl Subdivision game. The Wildcats open the season at home against Central Arkansas at 7 p.m. ET. He will likely beat defensive end My-King Johnson by just a few hours for that distinction. Johnson’s Arizona team kicks off its season against Northern Arizona at 10 p.m. ET that same Saturday. (As of this writing, it’s possible Johnson will redshirt this season.) In the last six months, Frantz and Johnson have received significant attention for coming out publicly, and they are part of a massive increase in publicly out LGBT Division I athletes.

The Olympics now welcome transgender athletes.

August 25, 2017 compassq Comments Off

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that it would allow transgender athletes to compete in whatever category they wish to participate in during the 2018 Winter Olympics, a report says. IOC officials noted that they will not require athletes to compete in categories that match their birth gender nor will there be any gender or sex testing of competitors ahead of the games, Daily Caller reported.

How did Pride Nights at ever happen at MLB games?

August 25, 2017 compassq Comments Off

Brent Minor, executive director of Team DC—an organization that promotes LGBT sports participation in the Washington area—remembers feeling pessimistic about the first-ever Washington Nationals Night Out. It was 2005, and his organization “totally emptied [its] treasury” to buy 200 tickets for LGBT fans. “We thought, ‘Okay, we’re going to lose our shirts,’” Minor says.

U.S. Soccer supports LGBTQ initiatives.

August 23, 2017 compassq Comments Off

U.S. Soccer will donate more than $65,000 to the You Can Play Project after a series of initiatives celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month in June. The U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams wore pride-inspired jerseys with rainbow numbers during their June friendlies and the game-issued kits were autographed and auctioned online. All proceeds from the auction – which was a partnership with the respective players associations – as well as all sales of the jersey and a special commemorative hat have been donated to You Can Play.

Hugs of support from football players at University of Nebraska.

August 23, 2017 compassq Comments Off

When University of Nebraska track and field athlete Jace Anderson found himself alone on a balcony at a campus party last year with three football players he described as “gigantic human beings,” he was nervous. He became even more nervous when one of the players asked him indirectly if he was gay. Anderson, 20, was just coming to terms with his sexual orientation and slowly telling people around him.

Meet the first out LGBT coach in the NFL.

August 22, 2017 compassq Comments Off

San Francisco 49ers assistant coach Katie Sowers is a pro football pioneer. This season, she will become the NFL’s second full-time assistant female coach. She will also become the league’s first openly LGBT coach, male or female. “No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are,” Sowers, openly lesbian, told Outsports when asked why she is discussing her sexual orientation publicly for the first time.

Crack down on anti-gay chants by soccer fans.

August 22, 2017 compassq Comments Off

How do you crack down hardcore on anti-gay chants by soccer fans? Work with police to arrest offenders. That’s what’s happened at a recent Leicester City match against Brighton & Hove Albion, as two Leicester fans were taken into custody for chanting homophobic messages during their team’s match. The homophobic idiots will not have to deal with the British court system, which does not look kindly on bigotry.