| I’ve
found many case examples of gay slurs being used by sports people,
to unsettle an opponent. This whole homophobic attitude gives
me an advantage over my straight counterparts. If they see being
gay as the lowest common denominator, and the weakest link,
then there is not a single slur that one of my opponents can
use to undermine me. |
| In August
2001 Hasim Rahman, accused Lennox Lewis of “acting gay”.
Rahman picked up on Lennox’s “special” relationship
with his mother as a sign of his sexuality, as a way of attempting
to undermine his opponent. |
| Lennox’s
sexuality is not the issue here, that is his own business –
and not for us to speculate. The words “acting gay”
were used by Rahman as he could think of nothing worse, as in
his eyes gay sportsman are the lowest, least skilled and weakest. |
| I look
at this whole concept from another angle and see my sexuality
as an advantage when competing. The fact that I’m totally
at ease with being a “fully paid up member of the club”
puts me in the driving seat. Opponents probably realise that
by using homophobic terms they’re only going to improve
my performance, by adding fuel to the fire. |
| I suppose
that opponents could attack me for being straight, and see if
that works. The sight of a gay-boy ripping 250-kilo of the floor
must be a little mind altering for my straight peers. Even if
they have used homophobic comments, they certainly have not
to my face. |
| My belief
is that Recognition is everything for gay athletes and that
is attained through earning respect. The Recognition of gay
sportsmen by governing bodies, competitors and supporters is
essential for the future acceptance of gay men in sport. |
| My chosen
way to earning the respect of my sport is through performance.
Many of you will be questioning my view already and think I’m
only referring to elite performance and then comparing this
views to the ethics of Gay Games already discussed. |
| By adding
a further line to the statement of Inclusion, Participation
and Pursuit of Personal Best, “Whatever level that maybe”,
takes into account both elite and recreational sports people
and recognises that both exist in the gay community. |
| My point
is that by participating and taking sport seriously, gay people
earn the respect of their peers. My experience in Power lifting
is nothing but positive. I found that the amount of weight that
I was lifting at the start was not important to the people around
me. |
| The fact
that I was taking the sport seriously and participating in a
meaningful way was enough to trigger the process of acceptance.
It’s time that more elite gay sports people operated openly,
and the sports world accepted that gay people are competing
at all levels of sport. |
| It is a
great shame that in Britain, I’m the only openly gay athlete
operating in first-class sport. For now, I’m happy to
shoulder that responsibility – at least until more young
gay athletes in this country, feel confident and supported enough
to follow my lead. |
|
