Lesson in Heroism: The Gay Athlete

As the sports world is recovering from World Cup excitement, All Star Baseball boredom and Iverson gun battles, a major story has slipped beneath the public's radar.

Runner Derrick Peterson, the 2002 American Indoor Champion in the 800 meters, became the first black professional athlete to come out of the closet. Derrick revealed his sexual orientation in a July interview with Genre magazine -- with the full support of his sponsor Adidas.

Did anyone notice?

Not really. Or at least not yet.

Like the recent coming out of the WNBA's Sue Wicks, Peterson's announcement saw barely any media coverage. As a track star in America, his name probably never saw the light of day in any headline, because track is often given a back seat to other more high profile sports.

But it truly is a shame when the media misses a pioneering move by an accomplished athlete like Peterson. And it's particularly odd when the press swooned over recent rumors about baseball player Mike Piazza's sexuality -- that seems backwards.

Peterson is a NCAA record- holder and former individual champion. He has won four medals at the World University Games, including two golds, and is one of our best hopes for Olympic Gold in the 800m in 2004. He also has been coaching at his alma mater, Missouri, and helps with track clinics around the country. Peterson's actions are revolutionary, as he was willing to put himself on the line and come out of the closet in the super masculinized and often homophobic sports world.

"The sports world is, of course, one of the mainstays of hegemonic masculinity -- the form of masculinity that subjugates all others," sports sociologist, author of Trailblazer and gay track coach Eric Anderson said. "Compulsory to being 'a real man' in America is heterosexuality, and gay athletes violate this."

Peterson's coming out is larger than just the sport itself; it challenges stereotypes and the status quo across society.

As a former closeted gay Penn athlete, I know all too well the urge to hide your sexuality and about buying into negative stereotypes. My dealings with coaches here were mixed. One coach I came out to was apathetic and discouraging, while the other was very supportive and understanding. Coaches are very influential to an athlete, so the discrepancies in their reactions were problematic. I was forced to choose between staying true to myself or to my sport, a conflict that may have been avoided with the proper guidance from the Athletic Department.

Unfortunately, the fact is that there is no established protocol -- in high school or NCAA sports -- to deal with gay athletes and fight homophobia. Paradoxically, in collegiate sports, where there are countless programs and personnel devoted to the athletes in their academic pursuits, career planning and sports medicine care, there is an obvious void of support for gay athletes.

Anderson added that "We have, for the time, settled on a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy in which gay athletes are allowed to remain on their teams without strife, as long as they keep their identity silenced and as long as they contribute to the overarching mantra of sports-winning."

That's probably why you could count on one hand the number of out gay athletes at Penn last year.

Many gay athletes have remained silent, as it is a harrowing experience to wonder what teammates, coaches or opponents will say about you. But we should be able to get beyond that fear and stand up for ourselves.

There is a growing gay sports community centered around national and local leagues and websites like Outsports.com. Thousands of gay athletes will compete this October in Sydney, Australia in the Gay Games, an Olympic-style sporting event. Over twenty sports, including track, will be featured.

Peterson probably won't be competing, but his presence will be felt heavily nonetheless.

Already, he is becoming a role model for gay youth. No more do they have to listen to stereotypes or feel alone in their struggles. Peterson is a man of virtue, discipline, and athleticism. A man who stands up for what he believes in. A gay man who dominates his sport.

Maybe one day, the sports world as a whole will take notice and break through the invisible "Don't as, don't tell" chain. Peterson is not the first gay athlete to come out, but hopefully he will serve as a powerful reminder to administrators and coaches at high schools and colleges -- if professional athletes are coming out, they will have to stop being ignorant to the subject.

More importantly, Peterson's coming out should make gay athletes understand that they are not alone and that they, too, can stand up for themselves when they feel ready.

"The value of his outting cannot be measured. At minimum I've already had the opportunity to throw his name out to a few scared, closeted, high school runners who know of him. It helps them build enough insurance that they can indeed come out," Anderson noted.

So let's applaud Peterson and all the other gay athletes for the strides they have made in liberation -- and then look ahead to the road we still have to travel.

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