I*. 42 DECEMBER T H E Y E A R IN 2011 A HOLIDAY RLVUE "A su p p er-clu b p le a su re in a sm ash in g sellin g." - The O re g o n ia n MAKE IT A HOLIDATE & SAVE 5 0 % ON ANY THURSDAY PERFORMANCE* 5 0 3 .2 2 2 .5 5 3 8 WWW.OBT.ORG K i c k o ff t h e s e a s o n w it h a s p l a s h FEATURING SUSANNAH MARS DECEMBER 10-22, 2011 / KELLER AUDITORIUM ‘ Expires 12/22/11. Limit 4 tickets. Not valid on previous purchases. May not be combined w ith any other offer. MI h i A S P O N S O R S (kiwjt) £|iC (Oregonian OREGONBALLETTHEATRE CHRISTOPHER STOWELL / ARTISTIC DIRECTOR -------- sports WWW.JUSTOUT.COM BY RYAN J. PRADO The sports world as a whole felt bureau- cratic and boorish all year long. The N F L lockout that almost was; the NBAs trun- cated season due to labor disputes; the NBAs playoffs marred by audible, and tele- vised, anti-gay slurs; the Atlanta Braves’ Roger McDowell motioning as if he were going to use a bat to assault a pair o f San Francisco Giants fans whom he questioned about being gay. On and on it went... It was enough to make you loony. But as with all valleys, a peak shouldn’t be far away. Whether the biggest LGBTQ_ sports story o f the year was a peak or valley is up for debate, though. A settlement was finally reached in a high-profile lawsuit filed against the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) by three softball players whose sexual orientation was questioned in the wake o f the 2008 Gay Softball World Series in Seattle. The debacle followed the players’ team’s second-place finish. NAG AAA’s rules stipulate that any team competing in a NA- GAAA-sanctioned tournament is allowed player limit applying strictly to self-identi- fied straight players. The players insisted they were bisexual, and the settlement reportedly awarded them reinstatement to the league, and their sec- ond-place finish fully recognized. NA- G A A A commissioner Roy Melani argued that the players never answered questions about their orientation during the hearing, Nevertheless, the commish was pleased with the settlement. , “This settlement and [the] judge’s rulings have shown that N A G AAA has the right to define their membership requirements,” said Melani. “It’s the Gay Softball World Series. It’s important we defend our right to main- tain that identity.” Others weren’t as convinced o f NA- GAAA’s infallibility. “N A G A A A has a serious image problem,” said Jake Packer, former open commissioner for the Rose City Softball Association from 2008-11. “Any message o f the good that N A GAAA may achieve, its primary pur- pose, plays second fiddle to [this] contro­ versy. The only way to change “Any message of the good that NAGAAA may that is to truly embrace every­ one that wants to support the achieve, its primary purpose, plays second LG BTQ _ community and gay fiddle to [this] controversy. The only way to softball, regardless o f their change that is to truly embrace everyone that sexual identity.” Anti-gay bullying once wants to support the LGBTQ community and again emerged as a cornerstone gay softball, regardless of their sexual identity.’ movement to rally against in -JAKE PACKER, FORMER OPEN COMMISSIONER, 2011, most notably in sports ROSE CITY SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION and schools. Scattered head- only two heterosexuals per team. Following lines declaring more and more professional a protest, a hearing was held wherein the athletes coming out ran parallel to news o f three players were reportedly questioned an increased number o f schools adopting whether or not they desired predominately new bullying policies designed to protect women or men. Following the closed-door students. Leading the charge, the Gay, Les- hearing, the plaintiffs’ team, D2 from San bian and Straight Education Network Francisco, was disqualified, and the team’s (G L SE N ) announced a new program in second-place finish was stripped. * March aimed at providing a safer and more The lawsuit brought into the limelight inclusive environment for K-12 sports and rules about the straight-player limits in gay physical education departments in America’s sports. Earlier this year N A G AAA changed schools. Dubbed “Changing the Gam e: its policy to include an unlimited number o f The G L S E N .S p o rts Project,” the initiative L G B T players on any team, with the two- was designed to bring together a diverse BREAKFAST A L L D A Y + N IG H T L U N C H & D IN N E R S E R V E D FULL BAR! 8338 N. LomBaRÒ 503 . 247.1066 ESPRESSO! Between North Gay & Gay. 2201 N. Killingsworth, Portland, OR 97217 503.735.4652 P a lin D in in g , P riv a te h illin g . F i i i i D in in g , Kim* h illin g 4) M i N G 0 in Beaverton 503 646 6464 WWW.MiNGOWEST.COM