As an LGBT athlete, it was difficult to watch what has happened this week. Two men in the world of professional sports made comments that directly attacked my community, and I will not stand for it. Examples need to be made of these people, because unfortunately they have influence due to their positions. What they say has power, and sadly, what they have been saying is causing harm to LGBT athletes, instead of showing them they have a place on the field, court, or ice.
Curt Shilling is a former MLB pitcher, and served as a baseball color commentator for ESPN. He is no stranger to making his close-minded opinion known, tweeting and posting things on Facebook that compared Muslims to Hitler.
Last week, another image that Shilling shared surfaced. The image depicted a trans person in some sort of sexual outfit with the words, “Let him in! To the bathroom with your daughter or else you’re a narrow minded, judgmental, unloving racist bigot who needs to die!” Not only is the image used to show trans people in a negative light, as some sort of sex symbol, but it follows up by attacking people who support basic trans rights, like being able to use the bathroom that fits your gender identity. Shilling followed up the shared image with posts on Facebook and his personal blog, 38 Pitches, by saying “A man is a man no matter what they call themselves. I don’t care what they are, who they sleep with, men’s room was designed for penis, women’s not so much. Now you need a law telling us differently? Pathetic.” Pathetic, that’s what I call people like you, Mr. Shilling. In his blog, he went into further detail about the people “attacking” him for what he said. I’m not attacking you, I’m defending my trans friends, and fellow trans athletes.
Shilling tries to create his defense in the idea that people are offended too easily. Yes, being offended is subjective, and what offends me may not offend you. What Shilling does not want to recognize is that his words aren’t just offending people, they are creating an environment where a whole community is marginalized. People will be offended, but when you say things that directly attack a community, and you try to show them that they do not have a place in this world, you are not just offending them, you are reinforcing naive social beliefs. I am sorry that you are a white, straight, cis gendered man, and you can’t image what it’s like to be marginalized for something you cannot control. If a trans kid saw that picture, who is there to tell them that it was created by an outgoing idiot who is on the wrong side of history? Why should they have to grow up in a world where people can treat them as though they are less than anyone else. That’s where Shilling is confused, he has not only offended people, he has only added to the anti-trans rhetoric in this country that needs to end.
I am happy that ESPN took the measure to fire Shilling. He does have the right to say, post, or share anything he wants, and now he must live with the consequences.
Another issue this week that made headlines was Blackhawks player, Andrew Shaw, yelling at a referee after he had received a penalty. Although there is no audio, the words coming out of Shaw’s mouth are clearly, “Fuck you, you fucking f-ggot!” multiple times. As someone who has had something very similar to that said to them on a field, it was horrible to think about all the kids, gay, straight, or trans that watched this happen on national television.
I feel bad for the gay kids because I know exactly how they feel. I know how demoralizing it is to not feel like you belong on a team, or in a sport. I also feel bad for all the straight kids who saw their hero say such a vulgar and demoralizing thing as if it was a normal way to react to the situation. I do not care if you did not agree with the call, and I am one of those players who usually struggles to keep my mouth shut when I get a foul called against me, but trying to use a gay slur to degrade the referee is in no way tolerable. I know that this sort of thing happens all the time, and I experience it quite often. I just know what that does to an athlete mentally, and I do not want a kid to have to deal with that on top of trying to perform at their top level.
The NHL issued Shaw a one game suspension, fined him $5,000, as well as making him go through sensitivity training. Although I totally support these measures, what he said can never be taken back. Unfortunately, in men’s sports there is a constant fight to be masculine, and this leaves some LGBT athletes struggling to find their place on their team. Words like those Andrew Shaw used are used in professional sports everyday, especially in sports like hockey and football where masculinity plays a huge role, are especially prominent. This makes it even harder for LGBT players to come out to their teams, because words like faggot only make them feel less comfortable with the idea of coming out.
Although these two incidents have shown that there are still people in the world of sports who do not welcome the LGBT community, it has also shown that organizations will not stand for actions that put LGBT athletes at risk. Curt Shilling has been fired. Andrew Shaw has been fined and suspended. They have both been held accountable for their actions and have become examples of what happens when you try mess with the LGBT community.
If you are an LGBT athlete who is not out, I hope you can see that although these people exist, they are in the minority. People will always be here to support you as a person and an athlete, and you do have a place on the field, court or ice.
