A sporting chance
This morning I read about the legal settlement involving the Gay Softball World Series. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, one team was denied its second-place trophy after it was concluded that the team had too many "non-gays." It is interesting that a week before this settlement, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle ruled in favor of the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance. He ruled that the group had the right under the First Amendment to limit the number of heterosexuals who could play on a team to two.
"It is reasonable that an organization seeking to limit participation to gay athletes would require members to express whether or not they are gay athletes," Coughenour wrote.
I don't think the members meant to insult gays in any way, but it does raise issues regarding the place of heterosexuals in gay sports leagues. In the 2006 Gay Games, plenty of straight best friends of gay men participated to show theitr support and solidarity. It has been said some heterosexuals participate because they believe they will have better success against a demographic perceived as "weak" in sports.
This story struck a personal nerve for me. I participated in the 2006 Gay Games. It was one of the most affirming experiences of my entire life. It was one time I didn't feel like a weakling. There was a club in Chicago created specifically for training for the 2006 Gay Games. The club thrived afterwards and still exists today. Unfortunately, it evolved into a mainstream homophobic club.
As time went along after the games, more heterosexuals joined the club and gay members trickled away. One leader was very happy that the club was "no longer a gay social club." I was not as happy. As time went on, I was instructed not to mention the club's origins, not to disclose my sexual orientation and not to discuss gay "issues" period. The reasons given involved the risk of offending heterosexuals and the presence of teenage members.
A few members refereed at youth sporting events. We also couldn't risk losing our reputation. It was later suggested by the coach that those training for the gay Games practice someplace else. I was ejected from the club a few years ago. Maybe the sport really was just for heterosexuals.
I don't think involving heterosexuals in our sports leagues is wrong, but I think a level of respect needs to be maintained. My personal experience is isolated, I hope. If they want to join our organizations, they can't strip the gay identity away. Gay sports leagues help gays thrive in sports with a welcoming environment. They are not meant simply for exclusion purposes. What needs to be understood is that many gays, myself included, never felt welcome or successful participating in sports in our younger years.
Heterosexuals should be welcome to participate in our sports leagues, but not welcome to insult us simultaneously.
Wes Fowler
Chicago
Mass understanding
Dear Editor:
The organizers and political leadership of the Chicago Pride Parade have changed both its route and the time the parade starts. This change has the parade going in front of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, and starting at 10 a.m., as opposed to noon. The organizers of the parade say this change was necessary for safety reasons, and an attempt to cut down on the drinking problem. Both reasons are responsible and, in my opinion, a long time in coming.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Parish takes issue with the route change. My understanding is they have some valid concerns. The first and foremost is that the changed parade route will interfere with parishioners attending the Sacred Liturgy on Sunday. Additionally, there are private-property concerns. The church recently went through a renovation project that included the redoing of the external front. Along with this is a private-property concern about its two large parking lots.
It is also my understanding that they are likewise concerned about the process used to reach this decision. They say they were not part of the conversation when this decision was reached. This is a serious concern, especially since 44th Ward Ald. Tom Tunney is a parishioner of Mt. Carmel. I find it very curious that he did not reach out to his pastor on this matter.
I think the whole matter could have been handled better by the alderman—not only from the perspective of Mt. Carmel's reasonable complaints, but from a broader community input that would include local community business leaders.
While I have issues with the decision-making process, I do not take issue with the decision of changing both the time and the route of the parade. I just think the whole process could have allowed for broader community input.
I don't agree with the pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, only because a precedent has been set. The Chicago Marathon is held on a Sunday and closes off LaSalle Street—a major north-south artery in the city—along with other streets, and many parishes along the route have difficulty in holding their Masses. Most Catholics who live along the route understand this, and either go to the vigil Mass on Saturday or an earlier Mass on Sunday. This is what it means to live in a cosmopolitan community, sometimes we have to make adjustments for the good of the broader community.
I want to emphasize that I support the change in the parade route and kick-off time; however, I also support Mt. Carmel's concern that this whole process could have been handled better by our political leadership.
Joe Murray
Rainbow Sash Movement
