The atmosphere at the Second Annual Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony held at the Center on Halsted on July 11 seemed to exemplify the courage, victory and raw emotion to be found in the arenas where each of the evening's honorees battled—often gagged by rampant homophobia—simply for the love of the game.
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"This past year has been a year of triumph and heartache for LGBT athletes," founder, executive director and board chair of the Sports Hall of Fame Bill Gubrud said in his opening remarks. "We've had the first openly gay player drafted in one of the four major sports. We've had numerous college athletes come out while still in college. We've had Olympic athletes come out. We've seen straight athletes show support to LGBT athletes. We've seen support from politicians and corporations."
As for the year's heartache, Gubrud summed it up in a single word: Sochi. "That was an embarrassment for the entire world," he said. "But we came out looking good and Russia came out looking bad."
Ironically, Sochi may also be one of the venues of soccer's World Cup to be hosted by Russia in 2018. Gubrud noted the anti-gay slurs that were shouted at players by fans of team Mexico at this year's tournament in Brazil—something the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has been unwilling to address. "They did not step up and they did not support us," Gubrud said.
His sentiments were echoed by 2013 inductee, celebrated sportswriter and ESPN editor Christina Kahrl. "Acceptance of a slur on the field of play and in the audience is something that shouldn't be about sports," she said. "Sports is something that is universal, that is international, that is human and so to diminish any one person on the field or in the stands is something that diminishes the value of sports itself."
The program book for this year's induction ceremony included congratulatory letters of support from Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball League, the National Hockey League and both the governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel. A letter from FIFA was notably absent despite organizers repeated attempts to secure one.
Yet the wall-to-wall audience for the evening was there to applaud defiant accomplishment in a vocation that has historically proven to be one of the most discriminatory and challenging for LGBTQ people. "This hall serves a permanent purpose to inculcate a sense of virtue that transcends our communities even as it celebrates them," Kahrl said. "We gather to honor those here tonight who shared so much of themselves in their achievements in sports and through sports."
Gubrud and some of the Sports Hall of Fame board members—Jackie Weinberg, Nick Mauro, Andy Schweickert, Billy Lullo, Gary Chichester, Israel Wright and Robert Rupp—stepped up to the microphone in order to salute athletes and organizations whose virtue and sacrifice through the years has helped to forge an inclusive way for LGBTQ competitors in basketball, football, baseball, rugby, long-distance swimming, diving, martial arts and even the political arena.
The first of the evening's inductees made the greatest sacrifice of all—one that saved countless lives. "Even though he could not marry, or teach children in our schools, because who he wants to love is breaking God's rules," Melissa Etheridge once sang of national championship rugby player Mark Bingham who defied the hijackers of United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. Following Etheridge's video, an emotional Schweickert posthumously inducted Bingham in recognition for his courage and excellence on both the rugby pitch and as a national hero.
President of the inclusive rugby club the Chicago Dragons Jason Sadler and President Emeritus Craig Sklenar accepted the award on Bingham's behalf. Sklenar told Windy City Times that Bingham's actions on 9/11 had a lasting effect upon the sport he loved so much. "There was just a groundswell of new players," Sklenar said. "The International Gay Rugby Association took off from that point and we've seen thousands of openly gay rugby players in the past 13 years." Sklenar added that Bingham's mother Alice Hoglan regularly attends the Bingham Cup—a global biannual rugby tournament that will take place this year in Sydney. "She's our ceremonial mother," Sklenar said. "In fact she's everybody's mom for the weekend."
Posthumous recognition was also given Washington Redskins tight-end Jerry Smith who died in 1986 of complications from HIV/AIDS. After 12 years with the team, he held the NFL record for most career touchdowns by a tight-end—each made while living in fear of being outed as a homosexual.
John Amaechi was raised in England and was both the first Brit to be inducted into the U.S. Basketball Hall of Fame and, in 2007, the first former NBA player to come out. In a 2011 interview he noted—with some irony—how homoerotic sports and in particular activities on the professional soccer pitch can be. "You take away the grass on the ground and the fans in the stands, and you put some bad '70s music to it, football celebrations are porn," he said. "Jumping on top of each other, humping each other, kissing on the lips, it's porn." Today, Ameachi is a consultant, broadcaster and philanthropist. He was honored for his advocacy and leadership in the LGBT community and as professional basketball player.
Long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad illustrated what is possible when an athlete refuses to quit. In September 2013, at the age of 64, she made a fifth attempt to swim from Havana,, Cuba to Key West, Fla., succeeding despite the threat of sharks and the constant attacks from jellyfish. The Sports Hall of Fame recognized her for proving that age is not a factor for greatness and that LGBT athletes can achieve at the highest levels. Nyad, like a few of the honorees, was not at the event.
The evening highlighted the achievements of Mixed Martial Artist Fallon Fox that have been auspicious and continual regardless of her 2006 gender transition. The Ohio-born athlete fought both for her country in the U.S. Navy and through disparagement and misunderstanding toward the transgender community in order to become a tenacious and unassailable role-model to others. "Fallon's courage to be herself, make her a prime example of LGBT excellence," Weinberg said.
As she walked up to accept her plaque, she received an ovation. "I'm not done yet," she told the audience, "There are more competitions and there is more I have to give."
The life of triathlete Chris Mosier has similarly proven that a trans* prefix is neither an impediment, nor makes any difference to raw achievement. The website Transathlete.com that he co-founded with Jessica Pettitt has been an invaluable resource to break through any barriers against trans* inclusion in athletics.
"When I first came out, I didn't know of any transgender athletes and it was a big challenge for me because being an athlete was such an important part of my identity," he told Windy City Times. "It was really important to me to be visible and open about my identity so other folks out there don't feel like they're the only ones. I think being here and being honored today has helped amplify the voice of transgender athletes and lets folks know that they can be trans* and be competitive."
A legendary figure from an entirely different arena was honored by the Sports Hall of Fame. In 1978, then-San Francisco Mayor George Moscone succumbed to an assassin's bullets alongside Harvey Milk. Prior to the day Dan White walked into his office, Moscone had been a groundbreaking political advocate of LGBT rights and a wholehearted believer in LGBT accomplishments on a sports field. Posthumously recognizing him as the Sports Hall of Fame's first straight ally, accomplished photojournalist and 2013 inductee Jerry Pritikin recalled a legacy that changed a conservative city to a bastion of progressive achievement. "In 1978 he accepted my invitation to throw out the first pitch at the Gay Community Softball League before 2,000 fans," Pritikin said. "He gave our team a proclamation praising its diversity both gay and straight."
Supporters from the corporate world have been just as invaluable to LGBTQ athletes throughout the years. Nike, Inc. was inducted for being at the forefront of LGBTQ corporate advocacy through initiatives such as the first LGBTQ Sports Summit held in 2012 designed to combat anti-LGBTQ bias in sports. Nike's LGBTQ employee network Chair Robert Goman accepted the plaque. "If you have a body, you're an athlete," Goman said. "We are proud and very happy to believe in a level playing field for everyone. We're delighted that our efforts have become a beacon for all athletes to be their authentic selves."
The Stand Up Foundation began work in 2011 to permanently remove bullying from schools and the sports field. Founder and rugby world cup champion Ben Cohen MBE said on the foundation's website that "Every person on this planet has a right to be true to themselves, to love and be loved, and to be happy." Executive Director Alison Doerfler fought through a lost voice to detail the work of the foundation to the audience. "As the mother of two young children, I am honored to lead the charge on behalf of their future," she said. "I envision that our part in this movement will pave the way for my children and countless others to play sports in a kinder, more loving world."
The induction ceremony took place on retired NFL defensive lineman Esera Tuaolo's birthday. The audience welcomed "Mr. Aloha" to the stage with a rendition of "Happy Birthday." In turn, he brought them to their feet with his own stunning performance of a song which declared "I'm a child of God."
The last plaque of the evening was given to Billy Bean, all-American outfielder, first baseman and designated hitter for teams that included the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. He was the second former major league baseball player to come out as gay and has since become a motivational speaker, spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign and author of Going the Other Way: Lessons from a Life in and out of Major League Baseball.
"I've been out there for 14 years trying to be a positive image and strong role model to all the silent athletes who were passionate about what they do and making the best of their talents," Bean told Windy City Times, "It's hard for people to understand that when you reach the highest levels of sport, you're an athlete before your sexuality or your gender defines you. Being acknowledged like this makes me want to do more."
Other inductees included diver and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Tom Daley, former American and NFL Europe player and executive director of the You Can Play Project Wade Davis, All Star pro-women's basketball player Brittney Griner and retired Welsh rugby international Gareth Thomas. Halftime entertainment was provided by Amy Armstrong, Freddy Allen and the Chicago Cabaret Project.
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