Homophobia in sport

HOMOPHOBIA IN SPORT CONTINUES

Recently a handful of high profile sporting personalities have come out, making headlines internationally ... but in this day and age of so-called more liberal attitudes towards the LGBT+ community, should coming out matter and should it make headline news.

Earlier this year, American Pro-football player Colton Underwood came out and his coming out journey can be seen on Netflix in a 5 part series, Coming Out Colton.

In May, Blackpool footballer, Jake came out, again making international news, yet the Tokyo Olympics saw more LGBT+ participants than ever before. Openly and proudly LGBT+ these sports men and women are flying the banner for acceptance, acknowledgment of their skill and talent and living their own truth. It is a brave step in any LGBT+ sports persons career to come out. For LGBT+ people, and sometimes more especially those that reach the pinnacle of their chosen sport or profession, the fear of rejection is very real. So congratulations to anyone that has the courage to do so publicly. In a recent interview with Sky Sports Blackpool’s Jake Daniels said, “I have been thinking for a long time about how I want to do it, when I want to do it. I know now is the time,”

“I am ready to be myself, be free and be confident with it all.” Daniels is the first pro-footballer in the UK to come out in over 30 years, since Justin Fashanu.

Fashanu’s story is a sad one that unsurprisingly does nothing to encourage footballers to have the same kind of bravery after his career was cut short, and he took his own life over homophobic bullying. Despite knowing he was gay at five or six, Daniels worried that he would have to keep his sexuality a secret until he retired.

“However, I knew that would lead to a long time of lying and not being able to be myself or lead the life that I want to,” Jake Daniels said.

He continued: “Since I’ve come out to my family, my club and my teammates, that period of over thinking everything and the stress it created has gone. “It was impacting my mental health. Now I am just confident and happy to be myself finally.” And Daniels firmly believes that his performance

will improve by living authentically. “The day after I told my mum and sister, we played Accrington [in an under-18s fixture] and I scored four goals, so it just shows how much of a weight off the shoulders and what a massive relief it was.”

Daniels outlined that coming out as gay/bi/queer was still seen as a ‘weakness’ in sports as so many sportsmen want to retain their masculinity; yet hopes that he can be an inspiration. “I am only 17 but I am clear that this is what I want to do and if, by me coming out, other people look at me and feel maybe they can do it as well, that would be brilliant,” Daniels shared. “If they think this kid is brave enough do this, I will be able to do it too.”

One respondent to Coilton Underwood’s story, ““Colton’s story is a lot like my own, and actually inspired me to consider fully coming out this year. This isn’t as much for the out LGBT community as it is for the closeted people who (wrongly) hold on to shame and don’t feel comfortable considering themselves a part of it.”

So yes, it is important that LGBT+ sports men and women tell their story. They are inspirational to fans and other players and help in de-stigmatising homosexuality. They are brave and as role models, particularly for younger LGBTI’s they help others to be as courageous.

Colton Underwood

Here in South Africa, there have been a number of high-profile sports people who are openly LGBT+ and we salute them. Phuti Lekoloane, also known as Phuti Minaj, is a South African footballer and LGBTQ activist, from Moletjie, Ga-kolopo, a rural township near Polokwane, Limpopo Province. He played for JDR Stars, a Pretoria-based organisation, on their second division team as goalkeeper, and now plays for Tornado F.C. He is Africa’s first openly gay male footballer, having come out publicly in July 2015.

Sunette Viljoen is a South African sportswoman who has represented her country in both cricket and athletics. In athletics, she competes as a javelin thrower and has won an Olympic silver medal and two Commonwealth Games gold medals, as well as medals in various other international athletics meets.

Mokgadi Caster Semenya OIB is a South African middle-distance runner and winner of two Olympic gold medals and three World Championships in the women’s 800 metres. She first won gold at the World Championships in 2009, and went on to win at the 2016 Olympics, and 2017 World Championships. She is now playing football.

Portia Modise is a South African footballer who was named Player of the Championship at the 2006 Women’s African Football Championship. She represented the South Africa national team at the 2012 London Olympics. She became the first African player to score 100 international goals. Leigh-Ann Naidoo is a South African beach volleyball player. Amanda Mthandi is a South African soccer player who plays as a forward for University of Johannesburg and the South Africa women’s national team.

Marilyn Agliotti is a field hockey player from the Netherlands, having previously represented South Africa. After her move to the Netherlands and award of a Dutch passport, she represented the Dutch national team.

Karen Hultzer is a South African archer.

Marizanne Kapp is an international cricketer who plays for South Africa national women’s cricket team. She was the first cricketer for South Africa to take a hat-trick in a Women’s Twenty20 International match. Ilana Sheryl Kloss is a former professional tennis player, tennis coach, and former commissioner of World Team Tennis, from 2001-2021. She was the World’s No. 1 ranked doubles player in 1976, World No. 19 in singles in 1979. She won the Wimbledon juniors singles title in 1972, the US Open Juniors singles title in 1974, and the US Open Doubles and French Open Mixed Doubles titles in 1976. Caitlin Aileen Rooskrantz is a South African artistic gymnast who competed at the 2020 Olympic Games. She won the uneven bars competitions at the 2018 African Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the 2019 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series event in Szombathely and the 2022 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series event in Cairo.

Eudy Simelane was a South African footballer who played for the South Africa national team and an LGBT rights activist. In 2008 at the age of 31, Eudy was tragically raped and murdered in her hometown of KwaThema, Springs, Gauteng. Janine van Wyk is a South African soccer player who plays as a defender for Scottish club Glasgow City FC and captains the South Africa women’s national team. She is the highest capped player in South Africa with 170 appearances, and highest capped female in CAF.

Caster Semenya

Eudy Simelane