It's not like there's a shortage of gay-related things to write about this week, but I don't think nearly enough people know about Brendon Ayanbadejo and Scott Fujita.
No, they are not the new It Gay Couple. Far from it. They are linebackers. In the NFL. Ayanbadejo plays for the Baltimore Ravens (he's on injured reserve right now) and Fujita is with the New Orleans Saints, both teams at the top of their divisions.
And both of them have gone public supporting gay equality; Ayanbadejo explicitly in favor of same-sex marriage and Fujita throwing his support behind the National Equality March this weekend.
Fujita became active after last year's proposal in Arkansas to ban gay adoption. As an adopted child, himself, Fujita felt he could not remain silent. When complimented for his courage, he said:
I don't think it's that courageous. I think I have an opinion, that I wish was shared by everybody, but I honestly believe that it's shared by more [football players] than we know because a lot of people just won't speak out about it. I'm hoping that what [Baltimore Ravens linebacker] Brendon [Ayanbadejo] did, and things like what I'm doing, speaking out a little bit, hopefully more people will step up and acknowledge the fact that hey, its ok to talk about this. Just because I'm in favor of gay rights doesn't mean that I'm gay or doesn't mean I'm some kind of "sissy" or something. That's the language that you hear in locker rooms. I know these guys well. I know for the most part, guys are a lot more tolerant than they get credit for but they're not comfortable yet speaking out about it. It's going to come in time. By in large, it's an opinion that's shared by more people than are realized. I just wish it was shared by everybody.
This is a theme I'm seeing a lot more lately: closeted support for gay equality from people who are afraid to say publicly what they believe privately. That is the closet Fujita and Ayanbadejo came out of, and they're not alone. It is extremely problematic for many straight men to even talk about gay equality, for the reasons Fujita states. But then, it was hard for us to talk about it for many centuries, as well. It's easy for us to assume that pro locker rooms are hotbeds of homophobia, and it's good for us to hear that maybe sometimes we should be more generous in our assumptions, and encourage more public support like this. We need it. And I deeply appreciate it.
2 Comments for “Coming Out of the NFL Locker”
posted by TS on
what could be better than finding friends in unexpected places?
posted by Marlene on
I happy to see even the most infinitesimal crack in the wall of macho attitude in professional sports!
The two men *are* heroes, no matter what Fujita’s humble words are to the contrary.
Here’s hoping for the time where lesbian, gay and transgender athletes can be open and enjoy a successful career from the amateur, collegiate, Olympian, and professional ranks, and women professionals can make the same amount as their male counterparts.