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DECEMBER
T H E Y E A R IN
2011
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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
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