Sports

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Katie Sowers to Make Twin Super Bowl History as first Out and Female Coach

Once rejected from a volunteer coaching position because of her “lifestyle,” Katie Sowers will make NFL history as the first openly gay and female assistant coach headed to the Super Bowl.

Sowers is an offensive assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers, whose win against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday secured the team’s spot in the championship game Feb. 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The 49ers will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs.

She is the second woman to coach in the National Football League and began her athletic career playing in the Women’s Football Alliance for the West Michigan Mayhem and the Kansas City Titans. After retiring in 2016 because of a hip injury, Sowers joined the NFL as an intern for the Atlanta Falcons, and took the assistant coach position with the 49ers the next year.

Sowers became the first out gay coach in the NFL when she came out before the 2017 season.

Katie Sowers✔@KatieSowers

Unreal night. Takin our talents to South Beach … Niners vs Chiefs … I couldn’t ask for a better game #MiamiBound #kcishome #DreamBig10K11:31 PM – Jan 19, 2020Twitter Ads info and privacy1,046 people are talking about this

“No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are,” she said in an interview with Outsportsafter coming out. “There are so many people who identify as LGBT in the NFL, as in any business, that do not feel comfortable being public about their sexual orientation.”

“By standing out and proud as the first-ever openly gay NFL coach in a Super Bowl, Katie Sowers not only shows LGBTQ athletes and fans what’s possible for them, but also shows the sport world as a whole that LGBTQ people are a valuable part of this community,” Joanna Hoffman, director of communications at the national LGBTQ athletic advocacy group Athlete Ally, wrote in an emailed statement.

“The more barriers we can break down in football and in all sports, the more LGBTQ athletes, coaches and fans will be able to be who they are and be a part of the sport they love.”

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Despite achieving a historic position of leadership in the highest level of national football, Sowers said she experienced LGBTQ discrimination in sports while in college, when was rejected from a volunteer coaching job because of her “lifestyle.”

“I was so passionate about coaching and to feel like my opportunities were limited because of who I loved was hard to deal with,” Sowers told Outsports. “However, without that experience, I would not be where I am today.”

The incident encouraged the coach to use her platform to promote inclusivity. Sowers was in part responsible for the genesis of a Pride fan club for the 49ers last May, the first NFL team-sponsored group that officially recognized its LGBTQ fans. She also frequently posts pictures of her with her girlfriend on Instagram and talks about her experiences being a women’s coach.

Athletes and fans are excited for Sowers’ historic role at Super Bowl LIV and have remarked that her position is especially poignant given there have only been 13 out gay and bi players in the NFL’s 100-year history, according to OutSports. 

U.S. Soccer WNT✔@USWNT

Big congrats to our friend @KatieSowers on that NFC title and for making history! She’ll be the first woman to coach at a Super Bowl. Love to see it. #BeLegendary

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5,0769:05 AM – Jan 20, 2020Twitter Ads info and privacy444 people are talking about this

“Congratulations to @KatieSowers of the @49ers, who will become the first woman to coach in the #SuperBowl,” tweeted Billie Jean King, gender equality advocate in sports and a former World No. 1 professional tennis player. “You have to see it to be it!”

“Phenomenal @KatieSowers,” wrote World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Hope Solo, alongside a clapping hands emoji.

Jeanna Kadlec @jeannakadlec

Katie Sowers, the first openly lesbian coach in the NFL, is a tattooed masc from Kansas, when will I stop responding to these kinds of butches on a cellular level (never)17910:34 AM – Jan 20, 2020Twitter Ads info and privacySee Jeanna Kadlec ‘s other Tweets

Last week, another major advancement for women in professional sports occurred when Alyssa Nakken joined the San Francisco Giants as an assistant coach, becoming the first woman to be a part of a Major League Baseball coaching staff.

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Republican Introduces Law to Ban Trans Athletes from Playing on Teams that Match their Gender Identity

A Republican lawmaker in Tennessee has introduced a bill which would prevent trans athletes in schools from playing on teams that match their gender identity.

Tennessee Representative Bruce Griffey has introduced the bill. If passed, trans students who participate in team sport would have to play as the wrong gender in the state.

He has claimed that he wants to ensure fairness in team sports at school level and insisted that there is “no ill will” intended by House Bill 1572, Nashville Channel 5 reports.

“What it’s simply trying to do is, I think science and experience and just society,” the Republican said. “We all know that traditionally males generally have bigger hearts, bigger upper body strength, and that can give them a genetic advantage when competing against women in a number of sports.”

The bizarre Republican law could see schools fined $10,000 for allowing trans students to play as the correct gender.

Under the bizarre law, schools could be fined $10,000 if they were to allow a trans student participate in a team sport in line with their gender identity.

If the bill is passed, state officials who knowingly violate the ban would be forced to give up their position and would be ineligible to hold any public office for a five year period.

Some members of the General Assembly have not made an effort to understand that trans youth are a part of our school population and we need to serve and protect them like all students.

The new bill has been slammed by LGBT+ activists in the state. Chris Sanders of the Tennessee Equality Project told Nashville Channel 5: “Some members of the General Assembly have not made an effort to understand that trans youth are a part of our school population and we need to serve and protect them like all students.”

He said the bill is part of the “2020 slate of hate bills,” a series of bills designed to attack the LGBT+ community in Tennessee this year. He called the new bill “insulting to trans youth.”

Various LGBT+ sport organisations have repeatedly debunked claims that trans people have a competitive advantage.

The myth that trans women have an advantage over cisgender women in sport is pervasive, despite the fact that numerous LGBT+ sportingorganisations have repeatedly debunked the claims.

Last year, lesbian tennis player Martina Navratilova sparked controversy when she wrote a column for The Sunday Times arguing that trans athletes should not be allowed to compete in competitive sport. LGBT+ sporting organisation Athlete Ally subsequently cut ties with her and released a statement debunking her claims.

Athlete Ally pointed out that “there is no evidence at all that the average trans woman is any bigger, stronger, or faster than the average cisgender woman, but there is evidence that often when athletes lower testosterone through hormone replacement therapy, performance goes down.”

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Rugby Star Fired For Homophobic Posts Says God Sent Fatal Wildfires Over Same-Sex Marriage

The BBC reports:

Rugby player Israel Folau has drawn anger for linking Australia’s bushfire crisis to the nation’s same-sex marriage and abortion laws. Folau, who was sacked by Australia in May for making anti-gay remarks on social media, described the fires as a “little taste of God’s judgement”.

Six people have died since last month in blazes raging in eastern Australia. Prime Minister Scott Morrison condemned Folau’s remarks as “appallingly insensitive”.

“He is a free citizen, he can say whatever he likes but that doesn’t mean he can’t have regard to the grievance [and] offence this would have caused to the people whose homes have burnt down,” Mr Morrison told reporters on Monday.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports:

During the 10-minute recording, the 30-year-old says the timing of the bushfire crisis is no coincidence but only a taste of God’s judgment should nothing change. “I’ve been looking around at the events that’s been happening in Australia, this past couple of weeks, with all the natural disasters, the bushfires and the droughts,” he says.

He then reads from the Book of Isaiah in the Bible: “The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.”

Folau links the passage to the twin disasters of bushfire and drought and, in turn, the legalising of same-sex marriage and abortion. “God is speaking to you guys. Australia you need to repent and take these laws and turn it back to what is right.”

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In Boston, the First Trans Hockey Team Takes the Ice

Hockey player Harrison Browne, thought to be the first openly transgender athlete in any professional U.S. team sport, didn’t have many trans athletes to look up to when he was growing up.

Then he saw Chris Mosier, a pioneering transgender triathlete being true to himself: “a trans athlete while still being a triathlete,” Browne said. “For me, when you see it, you can be it.”

When Browne came out as transgender in 2016 while playing for the Buffalo Beauts, a team within the National Women’s Hockey League, he said he had “a flood of people reaching out to me on social media saying, “It’s amazing to see you play your sport and be yourself.” His desire to take part in that type of positive representation is what drew Browne to play on a historic all-trans hockey team, which competed this past weekend in Massachusetts: Team Trans vs. Boston Pride Hockey.

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The friendship tournament, played in Cambridge, was hosted by Boston Pride Hockey, an LGBTQ intramural organization that has both cisgender and transgender members. The game came about after a trans player reached out to Boston Pride Hockey and asked about its friendship series with the New York City Gay Hockey Association, which led to a conversation leading to the game.

Earlier this year, Hutch Hutchinson, who played defense on Team Trans, and New York player Aidan Cleary discussed how they wanted to create a space just for transgender athletes. Cleary contacted Boston Pride Hockey Vice President Mark Tikonoff about how they might recruit a full team of trans players.

“We have a few trans members, but not enough to make an entire team, so we started to reach out — to other cities we play with in national tournaments — San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Canada — to see if there were other players who might be interested in something like this.” Tikonoff said.

Image: Hutch Hutchinson and Shane Diamond, players on Team Trans for the Boston Pride Hockey League.
Hutch Hutchinson and Shane Diamond, players on Team Trans for the Boston Pride Hockey League.Courtesy of Kyle Outlaw

After receiving a strong response, the group organized the event, secured the space and raised funds to make sure the tournament went off without a hitch.

“For us, we didn’t realize how much we had in common, and we didn’t realize — I’m speaking personally — how much this community was underserved,” Tikonoff said. “As a cis gay man going into a locker room with other cis gay men, I don’t fear for my safety and I don’t fear judgment and I don’t fear exposing part of myself to people.”

While Team Trans lost to Boston Pride Hockey in both of the weekend games, Hutchinson said it was “an honor” to play alongside Browne and Jessica Platt — the two professional hockey players who competed in the weekend tournament. “The common thread was we have all never been on an all-trans team, and we have all gone through the struggle of ‘Where do I belong?’” Hutchinson said.

“We as trans people fight either big battles or little battles every day,” Hutchinson said. “This was an opportunity to walk into a locker room, and we didn’t have to explain anything to each other — we’re here, we are trans, this is great.”

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Platt, a transgender woman who played with the Toronto Furies in the Canadian Women’s Hockey Players Association before it went out of business, said that being out and trans in a professional sport is “a really lonely experience.”

“There are not a lot of out trans athletes playing professional sports, and there are few in professional women’s sports,” Platt said. “I think that’s partially due to the fact that there’s a lot of negativity surrounding trans women participating in professional sports.”

Indeed, just this month, conservative groups reportedly test ran anti-transgender advertisements in key political races that specifically highlighted the issue of transgender inclusion in school sports.

“Growing up, I always played boys hockey and it didn’t feel like a safe atmosphere for me,” Platt said. “I knew there was something different about me but I always tried to be who I needed to be to fit in because I saw anyone who didn’t quite fit in the male hockey atmosphere got made fun of pretty harshly, so I didn’t want to be that person.” And yet she persisted, because she loves to play the sport.

Platt said that if presented with the opportunity to play forward on Team Trans again, she’d do it. “It was such a special experience for me, it was such a positive and supportive environment, I feel like everyone had no problem being themselves.”

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Once the players hit the ice, it was easy playing the game they all know and love.

“A lot folks that I played with this weekend, we put years of our lives into practicing our sports and then we came out as trans and found there’s not necessarily a space for us in that sport anymore,” Hutchinson said. “I think that what happened this weekend it was important on individual levels — for me personally, it was like a full honoring of my identity: I am a trans hockey player and I am on a trans team.”

For her part, Platt said she hoped that the tournament would open more people’s minds to the fact that transgender athletes work hard and compete fairly just like cisgender athletes.

“We need more knowledge, more education, and for people to go into these things with an open mind and be willing to learn something that they might not be familiar with.”

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National’s player Turned Down White House Invitation in Solidarity with LGBT Community

Champion baseball player Sean Doolittle has declined an invitation to a ceremony in the White House because he disagrees vehemently with the policies of Donald Trump.

Doolittle – who plays for the Washington Nationals – told the Washington Post that he cannot justify visiting the White House as he finds Trump’s policies offensive.

He revealed that part of the reason he refused to visit the White House is because his wife has two mothers and he wanted to “show support for them”.

“I think that’s an important part of allyship, and I don’t want to turn my back on them.”

Sean Doolittle refused to visit White House over Donald Trump and his ‘divisive rhetoric’.

“There’s a lot of things, policies that I disagree with, but at the end of the day, it has more to do with the divisive rhetoric and the enabling of conspiracy theories and widening the divide in this country,” Doolittle said.

“At the end of the day, as much as I wanted to be there with my teammates and share that experience with my teammates, I can’t do it. I just can’t do it.”

I think that’s an important part of allyship, and I don’t want to turn my back on them.

Elsewhere in the interview, Doolittle drew attention to Trump’s treatment of race issues, refugees and disabled people.

“I feel very strongly about his issues on race relations,” he said. Doolittle spoke about the Fair Housing Act, the Central Park Five as well as Trump’s comments about white supremacy as examples of problem areas.

Doolittle said that Trump has disrespected the office of the president.

“I have a brother-in-law who has autism, and [Trump] is a guy that mocked a disabled reporter. How would I explain that to him that I hung out with somebody who mocked the way that he talked or the way that he moves his hands? I can’t get past that stuff.”

The baseball player also revealed that some people have taken issue with his refusal to visit the White House and said he should be respecting the office of the president.

However, Doolittle feels that Trump himself has disrespected the office on a number of occasions – and believes that this is the most important issue.

Doolittle and his wife Eireann Dolan have advocated for the rights of LGBT+ people on a number of occasions.

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Olympic Gold Medalist Hurdler Comes Out: “I’m Free”

Out Magazine reports:

Gold medalist Kerron Clement is finally ready to share his story. The track athlete publicly came out Friday, on National Coming Out Day, exclusively telling Out, “I was tired of loving in the dark.”

“I have been through what a lot of people have been through which is being afraid of being who you are,” he says. “I struggled with my sexuality for 17 years. Over time, as you get older, you care less. Now it’s time to just be yourself and be free. That’s what I’ve become, free.”

Clement competed in the 2008 and 2016 Olympic Games, in Beijing and Rio de Janeiro, respectively. The track star won gold and silver medals in 2008, and another gold medal during his Olympic return.

Clement has also worked as a model and actor. In 2011 he made a fleeting appearance in a Beyonce video (at 1:47) despite “being more of a Mariah Carey fan.”

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International Olympic Committee Scientists Fail to Agree on Trans Athlete Guidelines

Plans by the International Olympic Committee to tighten guidelines for trans athletes ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Games have stymied because scientists are struggling to agree over the “tricky political and emotive issue”.

Scientists involved in the decision were expected to recommend halving the permitted testosterone levels for trans women competing in elite sport, opening up the field to more trans-inclusive races.

But sources confirmed to The Guardian that the IOC have pinned discussions because the subject is so divisive, and consensus is not likely before the games begin next year.

Trans advocates have long argued that current regulations  –established in 2015 – have limited non-cis athletes making it to elite level games.

An agreement has “proved far more difficult than expected”, says source.

The current regulations – hashed out by board members, scientists and legal advisors – allowed trans women to compete insofar that they “demonstrate that her total testosterone level in serum has been below 10 nmol/L for at least 12 months”.

However, these guidelines proved provocative, given that female testosterone levels tend to range between 0.12 and 1.79 nmol/l, while male’s are typically between 7.7 to 29.4 nmol/l.

According to the broadsheet, some scientists have advocated for reducing the permitted testosterone levels to 5nmol/L, which is below most males.

This would ensure more trans women could compete in women’s category sports, they claim.

But a salvo in the struggle to agree was some scientists disagreeing with this. They argued that testosterone suppression for trans women has little effect on reducing muscle strength even after a year of treatment.

One source told The Guardian that the draft IOC proposals “had gone around the houses” without any progress. Therefore, making it unlikely that a new consensus position would be reached before the Tokyo Olympics.

Another source said an agreement “proved far more difficult than expected because this is such a tricky political and emotive issue”.

The process is being led by the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission as well as being informed by inputs from the IOC Athletes’ Commission and the IOC Women and Sport Commission.

Stakeholders alongside medical, legal, and human rights experts will also have a say in the process.

The Guardian reported that talks will continue while other sporting federations are encouraged to create individual policies on trans athletes. But without the IOC taking the lead, these governing bodies may be un-willing to do so.

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Former Rugby Star Gareth Thomas Reveals HIV+ Status After Being Blackmailed By “Evil People”

The Independent report:

Former Welsh rugby captain Gareth Thomas has revealed he is HIV positive – and hopes coming forward with his diagnosis can help break the stigma for others living with the virus.

Thomas is thought to be the first UK sportsman to go public about living with the condition, and has revealed that he was driven to suicidal thoughts after being told he had the illness by a doctor during a routine sexual health check up.

The former British Lions captain, 45, who will be a TV pundit in the upcoming Rugby World Cup, added that he “broke down” when he got the news of his diagnosis. Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, he said: “I’ve been living with this secret for years. I’ve felt shame and keeping such a big secret has taken its toll.”

The Guardian reports:

The former Cardiff Blues player won 103 caps and scored 41 tries for Wales between 1995 and 2007, and he is 13th on the all-time international test try-scoring list.

Last November, he was attacked in Cardiff city centre in a homophobic hate crime, but asked South Wales police to deal with the 16-year-old assailant by way of restorative justice.

The sportsman now takes one tablet containing four medications each day, and doctors have said his condition is under control to the point that it is considered “undetectable” and cannot be passed on. Mr Thomas said that his partner – Stephen – who he met after his diagnosis and married three years ago, does not have HIV.

The Huffington Post report:

Gareth spoke about his HIV status for the first time in a video he posted on his Twitter page, revealing “evil” people had “made his life hell” by threatening to go public with his condition without his consent.

He explained: “I want to share my secret with you. Why? Because it is mine to tell you. Not the evils that make my life hell by threatening to tell you before I do. And because I believe in you and I trust you. I’m living with HIV.

“Now you have that information, that makes me extremely vulnerable but it does not make me weak.” He added: “Even though I have been forced to tell you this, I choose to fight to educate and break the stigma around this subject.”

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Every NFL Team Has Gay or Bisexual Players, Retired Player Claims

Retired National Football League player Ryan O’Callaghan has said he thinks there is “at least one” gay or bisexual player on every NFL team, but that they do not come out for fear of losing sponsorships or even their jobs.

O’Callaghan came out as gay in 2017, and is soon to release a book titled My Life on the Line: How the NFL Damn Near Killed Me and Ended Up Saving My Life in which he talks about being closeted in the NFL.

He told Reuters: “I can promise you there’s plenty of closeted NFL players.

“I think it’s safe to say there’s at least one on every team who is either gay or bisexual. A lot of guys still see it as potentially having a negative impact on their career.”

Between 2006 and 2011, O’Callaghan played for the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs, and he said he regularly hears from other plays who are too scared to come out.

He continued: “I just don’t think people understand the reality. We can still get fired for being gay or denied services for being trans.”

Former NFL player Ryan O'Callaghan
Ryan O’Callaghan #75 of the Kansas City Chiefs in action against the Denver Broncos in 2010. (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty)

Former NFL player Ryan O’Callaghan thought of taking his own life before he came out.

He said the NFL has done some things to alleviate the fear felt by LGBT+ players, such as sponsoring New York Pride, but that more needs to be done with contract guarantees and representation.

“It’s going to take a high profile player who’s playing currently, coming out, to really make a difference,” he added.

When O’Callaghan first came out, he told Outsports that while he was still closeted he thought of taking his own life after his football career was over.

He said: “My plan was to end my life after football. I thought that would be it, and I could never be an out gay man.

“I’m just glad there were people who pushed me in the right direction, and I could get help.”

He has since started the Ryan O’Callaghan Foundation “to provide scholarships, support and mentorship for LGBTQ+ athletes, students and youth”.

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NFL Free Agent Announces He’s Bisexual – and Says ‘Truth is Survival’

“I’m a talented football player, a damn good writer, a loving son, an overbearing brother, a caring friend, a loyal lover, and a bisexual man.”

A three-year NFL veteran, now a free agent, says in a revealing and personal 2300 word ESPN interview he is bisexual. Ryan Russell, who played for the Dallas Cowboys for one season and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two seasons says he just interviewed with an NFL team but he knows that “truth is survival,” and he can no longer live his life in separate worlds – a word he uses 16 times.

“My truth is that I’m a talented football player, a damn good writer, a loving son, an overbearing brother, a caring friend, a loyal lover, and a bisexual man,” Russell tells ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz.

“Have I lied to teammates, coaches, trainers, front-office executives and fans about who I am? Not exactly,” Russell adds. “But withholding information is a form of deceit. And I want the next part of my career — and life — steeped in trust and honesty. During the season you spend more time with your team than with your own family; truth and honesty are the cornerstones of a winning culture.”

He adds that he has “two goals: returning to the NFL, and living my life openly. I want to live my dream of playing the game I’ve worked my whole life to play, and being open about the person I’ve always been.”

“Those two objectives shouldn’t be in conflict. But judging from the fact that there isn’t a single openly LGBTQ player in the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball or the NHL, brings me pause. I want to change that — for me, for other athletes who share these common goals, and for the generations of LGBTQ athletes who will come next.”00:3500:44

Russell tells Outsports he “has comfortably settled into the bisexual identity he feels is his true self, as he lives openly for the first time. Now he’s preparing to move in with his boyfriend, Corey O’Brien, as they launch a new YouTube channel together.”

And he adds, “I’ve been able to live this genuine existence and hold my boyfriend’s hand in public. For me now, there’s no going back.”

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