Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Shooting straight: Champion marksman Chris Cheng is gay
by Ross Forman, Windy City Times
2013-12-18

This article shared 8108 times since Wed Dec 18, 2013
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Chris Cheng, winner of The History Channel's Top Shot ( Season 4 ), revealed Tuesday, Dec. 17, on his blog that he is gay. Cheng and partner Nate Smith have been together for almost five years — and their families will be together for Christmas, just as they are annually for Thanksgiving. Cheng has participated three times, including in 2013, in the annual AIDS LifeCycle bicycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Opera BRAVO! Club and is a volunteer baritone singer for the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Cheng also is a co-founder of Home For A Home, a nonprofit organization that builds homes for the needy. Cheng spoke with Windy City Times reporter Ross Forman for his first newspaper interview since coming-out.

Chris Cheng was the "gay guy applying for a shooting competition" when he auditioned two years ago to appear on The History Channel's Top Shot ( season 4 ). That was part of his persona, no doubt a hot button.

But the gay card was never played.

"The entire cast of Top Shot knew that I was gay, and there were plenty of recorded discussions about [my sexual-orientation]," Cheng said. "The interesting thing was, it really was a non-issue for the other marksmen on the cast. The History Channel never aired any of that footage because, and this is the quote that they gave me: 'It never became relevant.'

"The uniform response that I got from everyone [associated with the TV show] was, 'Chris, we don't care that you're gay; this is a shooting competition; we want to see how well you shoot.'"

Cheng admits he was "caught off guard" by that response. "I was expecting much more of a fight, so to speak," he said.

The finale for Cheng's season on Top Shot—when he learned he was the champion, winner of a $100,000 cash prize and a professional marksman contract with the show's sponsor, Bass Pro Shops—aired in May, 2012.

Cheng was the winner, not the gay winner.

"For the past year and a half, I have learned how very tolerant the gun community is with respects to LGBT rights and the LGBT community," Cheng said. "There are a ton of gun owners who are supportive [of the gay community], and many gun people don't care about [other's sexual orientation.]"

Cheng admits he was surprised he was not outed on Top Shot.

Cheng came out Dec. 17, posting on his blog under the headline: I'm Gay for Guns.

"What prompted [Tuesday's] announcement was, now that I've spent a year and a half in the gun community, and am a mini-celebrity in the gun world, I keep thinking, 'What do I want my place to be in the gun community?'" Cheng said. "I'm very interested in diversity in the gun industry and the gun community. The interesting thing is, the diversity is already there, but we just don't have a lot of outdoor media people talking about it. So that's where I saw an opportunity to shine this light on diversity in the gun community, that gun owners are not just this stereotypical white, redneck, bigoted gun owner."

Showcasing diversity, particularly in the gun community, is Cheng's drive.

On his coming-out blog, Cheng thanked many, including the National Rifle Association and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, "who are supportive of my decision as they recognize the diverse perspective I bring to the conversation about the safe and responsible use of firearms," he wrote.

Cheng said he has received 60 percent positive/supportive responses to his coming-out, while 5 percent have been negative, "which I think is to be expected and I'm not really caught off-guard by that." He said that the remaining 35 percent have had a "So what, who cares, why is this an issue," attitude. "I think that's actually a great response," he said.

"Overall, it has been a supportive, accepting and tolerant response. There is much more support for gay rights in the gun community than one may think."

Such that, a gun friend of Cheng's who quickly came to his support. The man lives in the Deep South, is white, and married with kids, Cheng said. The two have shot together for two days, and he didn't know that Cheng was gay at the time.

"I wasn't expecting to receive a positive response [from him], but he has been very, very supportive," Cheng said. "He gets it, that this is about breaking stereotypes."

Cheng comes from a diverse background. His dad, Benjamin, is Chinese-American; his mom, Maggie, Japanese-Cuban. Cheng said his parents were "a little hesitant and concerned" about his coming-out blog, though they have known he is gay since 2008.

Benjamin asked his son, "Why do you need to do this? Why is it important for you to come out?'"

Cheng replied: "This is important because gay people are a marginalized group [so] we have to be vocal and visible if we want to have an impact in the world."

After all, Cheng admits he definitely want to be a role-model to others in the LGBT community.

"Coming-out is not easy. You may lose friends or family members; that is the reality; it can happen," he said. "But coming-out has been nothing but a very good experience for me."

Cheng, 34, came out to friends at age 19 while attending UCLA. He graduated in 2003, and worked for Google, Inc., from 2007-2012, primarily in technical support.

He came out to his parents in 2008 at a pizza restaurant in San Francisco.

"Like a lot of gay people, I ran this narrative through my head, [including] how I'm going to do it, what I'm going to say, and how I'll respond to any reaction they may have. It was like I had a contingency plan for anything," Cheng said.

Today, his parents are "totally fine" with his sexual-orientation, he said. "Things are at a great place with my folks."

Cheng and Nate Smith, 29, the CEO and co-founder of a start-up company in the Silicon Valley in the software industry, have been together for almost five years. They met at Google.

"The impact I want to have [for the gay community] is to just show people that you can be yourself, and if you want to do something, just go do it," Cheng said. "If I'm at any way able to put people at ease, help them be themselves, be who they are, that's great, definitely something I hope I can do."

Cheng tours the country for Bass Pro Shops, competes in various shooting competitions, and works with the NRA and others to promote the sport of shooting.

He is writing a book, titled Shoot To Win, due out next July, and developing a gun-focused TV show for 2014.

"I love what I do for my job. I'm living the American dream, doing stuff that people often only dream about," Cheng said. "I have a lot of fun competing, demonstrating weapons, and just learning as much as I can about the shooting community.

"I never envisioned this is where my life would be. While at UCLA, I was debating whether to be an engineer, working for Apple or Google. Then, I envisioned working in government, either for the government or for an elected official.

"Even five years ago, if someone had said, 'Chris, you are going to have a career in the gun industry,' I would have said, 'No way; that just doesn't make any sense.'"

But Cheng has shined in the gun community, a self-taught marksman who never was in the military or with law enforcement experience.

Cheng has participated in the annual seven-day, 545-mile AIDS LifeCycle three times—in 2009, 2010 and 2013.

"It truly is a wonderful event," Cheng said. "You are around LGBT people, and supporters, for a week, and it really is a warm, open, loving and accepting community.

"The impact of the week is really all about seeing [participants] from areas that are not as gay-friendly as San Francisco. It's a very emotional experience. I would love to do it again in 2014, but the challenge is, my schedule. I absolutely will do the ALC again, just not sure if it will be in 2014."


This article shared 8108 times since Wed Dec 18, 2013
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Four Chicago Red Stars receive international call-ups 2024-03-28
- CHICAGO (March 28, 2024) — Chicago Red Stars Nádia Gomes, Natalia Kuikka, Alyssa Naeher and Mallory Swanson have been tabbed to represent their countries during the April international window. Forwards Gomes and Swanson are set to ...


Gay News

2024 'Nike Basketball Camps with the Chicago Sky' announced 2024-03-28
- The Chicago Sky officially announced, in a debut collaboration with Nike Sports Camps, 2024 summer basketball camps for Chicagoland youth. Two camps for boys and girls ages 7-15 will take place June 17-21 and July 8-12 ...


Gay News

Be here, be queer, play polo: Gay Polo League creates safe athletic space for LGBTQ community 2024-03-26
- LGBTQ+ athletic clubs aren't too hard to come by, offering a variety of sports such as softball, soccer and more in cities across the country. But LGBTQ+ athletes would be harder pressed to find someplace to ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars stay undefeated 2024-03-24
- Chicago Red Stars stay undefeated On March 23, the Chicago Red Stars took down the Seattle Reign FC 2-1 in the club's home opener at SeatGeek Stadium. With the win, the Red Stars are now 2-0-0 ...


Gay News

ACTIVITIES Pickleball, fine eats and fun are all at SPF 2024-03-21
- Despite the fact that it was invented in 1965, pickleball has only really entered the national consciousness within the last few years. However, there really hadn't been a large indoor dedicated space in Chicago for the ...


Gay News

2024 OLYMPICS U.S. women's soccer team's opponents set 2024-03-20
- The United States women's national soccer team will face Australia, Germany, and either Morocco or Zambia in Group B at the 2024 Paris Olympics, ESPN reported. The tournament will mark the Americans' first competitive games with ...


Gay News

Alyssa Naeher wins National Women's Soccer League Impact Save of the Week 2024-03-20
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 20, 2024) — Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher earned National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Deloitte Impact Save of the Week honors, the league announced today. Seven minutes into the eight minutes of added ...


Gay News

Red Stars start season with 2-0 win 2024-03-17
- On March 16, the Chicago Red Stars kicked off their 2024 campaign with a 2-0 road win over Utah Royals FC in the Royals' inaugural match back in the National Women's Soccer League. Ally Schlegel and ...


Gay News

College athletes sue NCAA over transgender policies 2024-03-15
- Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among a group of college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on March 14, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing trans swimmer Lia Thomas ...


Gay News

SPORTS Red Stars prepare to kick off NWSL season against Utah Royals 2024-03-15
- It's been a busy winter for the Red Stars, and it's time to put their work to the test. Following a last place finish in the 2023 NWSL season, Chicago has had an active offseason transforming ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars release 2024 roster 2024-03-13
- CHICAGO (March 13, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars announced today their final roster ahead of the 2024 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) season. The club's roster is bolstered by an array of experience brought not ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars release midfielder Jill Aguilera 2024-03-12
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 11, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars today announced the release of midfielder, Jill Aguilera. "I want to thank Jill for her time with the Red Stars," said general manager, Richard Feuz. "Over her ...


Gay News

Trans golfer banned from competing 2024-03-08
- Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson spoke out on Instagram after the NXXT Women's Pro Tour suddenly announced on March 8 (International Women's Day) that participants must be "a biological female at birth" in order to compete—banning D ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars sign midfielder Leilanni Nesbeth 2024-03-06
Press release - CHICAGO (March 6, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars announced the signing of draftee and midfielder Leilanni Nesbeth. Nesbeth, Chicago's first-round and tenth overall draft pick in the 2024 National ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars announce partnership with Wintrust 2024-02-27
Press release - CHICAGO (Feb. 27, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars and Wintrust Financial Corporation announced a partnership that will see Wintrust become the club's new front-of-jersey partner and community outreach investment ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.