Five Sports Stars Prove that Standing Up for your Gay* Friends is Incredibly Attractive

Far be it from us to objectify anyone: man, woman, gay, straight, or other in any of those categories, but this feature on Out.com really leaves no wiggle room on the matter: athletes who stand up for their gay friends are hot.

People who speak up for their gay friends are attractive.

Pictured: Ben Cohen, Hudson Taylor, Michael Irvin, Mike Chabala, and Nick Youngquest. Click through to read more about what these rad athletes are doing for their gay friends!

The world of sports has unfortunately been notoriously rough territory for LGBT folks — whether it’s Kobe Bryant slinging anti-gay slurs during a Laker’s game or the seemingly never-ending inappropriate public referendum on South African runner Caster Semenya‘s gender, major players both inside and outside the game have a tendency to make big-league competition an uncomfortable space for anyone perceived as outside the “norm” of heterosexuality. Women athletes take a lot of heat in the form of “accusation,” constantly having their sexuality questioned for enjoying traditionally “manly” pursuits in sports, especially if they’re any good. For men, you’ll more often see players throw around derogatory terms for a ref after a bad call or using homophobic language to goad opponents, furthering the linguistic barb that “gay = bad” more than actually trying to out peers.

In any case, the five men profiled by Out Magazine are taking a stand not only for their gay teammates, but to encourage a huge shift in the world of sports to make it a safe and accepting environment for LGBT players and fans. In a universe where those who stand up for gay friends are likely to be labeled gay themselves, which is still a major career liability, these guys are truly going above and beyond to show what friendship means. And Out is buying them sexy outfits and taking nice pictures of’em for their troubles. Right on.

While these guys are high-profile athletes in super dudely realms like wrestling and rugby, it doesn’t take a spot in the limelight to make a difference — even making it clear that your gay friends are welcome on the JV team or after-work kickball league can mean the world. When a straight friend stands up to say it’s stupid to make a fuss over sharing locker-rooms or calls out another player for using anti-gay language, other people listen: you don’t have a stake besides caring about your friends, and that makes your voice incredibly powerful.

And (sorry, we have to say it) what’s more attractive than power, especially when it’s used to be a great friend? We don’t have stats on this, but we would put money on potential dates of whatever gender taking notice of your efforts in the best way.

For goodness sake, look at those five dudes! Think they’re hurting for Saturday night plans??

Have you ever encountered a hostile environment for LGBT friends on the field? Did you do anything about it? Think we’re seeing things get better or worse in the world of professional sports? Have at it in the comments!

Interpreting David Tyree’s Opposition to Same-Sex Marriage

Jemele Hill just wrote an interesting article for ESPN about football player David Tyree’s vocal opposition to same-sex marriage.

Hill starts with a stark reminder that we are reading ESPN—no other news source would make this the second sentence of a David Tyree/freedom to marry article:

Tyree, whose catch in Super Bowl XLII is among the most amazing plays in NFL postseason history, has drawn widespread criticism for his strong opposition to gay marriage.

Because NFL postseason history is the new world history!

The article goes on to discuss (skeptically) Tyree’s claim that legalizing same-sex marriage would lead to “anarchy.” There is no mention of the fact Tyree would give up his Super Bowl ring if it would prevent the legalization of gay marriage, but Tyree said that too.

Hill takes a freedom of speech angle on Tyree’s comments–even if you disagree, Tyree should be able to speak his mind–and closes on this note:

Since Tyree doesn’t support gay marriage, does it automatically mean he’s homophobic?

If you’re against abortion, does that mean you don’t respect women?

If you’re against affirmative action, are you a racist?

Does “pro” always mean the opposite of “anti”?

We should know by now that it isn’t that simple. […]

Tyree is being depicted as an uninformed religious zealot, but at least he’s up-front. He helped deliver thousands of petitions against the same-sex marriage bill and joined the National Organization for Marriage at a recent news conference in Albany.

That doesn’t sound like someone who is crazy. Rather, it sounds like someone who isn’t going to back down from what he believes.

What do you think of Tyree’s recent shenanigans? We’d love to hear from you in the comments–and your senators need to hear from you too. New Yorkers, call your senator here and tell them you support your gay friends’ freedom to marry.