Hey all. Was wondering on any Pro sport team out there how many members of a team are gay? I know football has like 60 players on a team and a baseball team has about 40. What are the odds of a few guys here or there being gay? I was thinking a few, but they would never come out until they retire. I know that guy from the Utah Jazz came out after he retired. My other question is, if a player came out, how would his other teammates feel and how would they act around him?
Former Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway said on a radio show Wednesday afternoon that he would not want a gay player on his team.
Hardaway
Hardaway was a guest of Miami Herald columnist Dan Le Batard on Miami sports radio station WAXY-AM and was asked how he would deal with a gay teammate. When asked if he would accept an active player's coming out, such as that of retired NBA center John Amaechi, Hardaway replied: "First of all, I wouldn't want him on my team.
"And second of all, if he was on my team, I would, you know, really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that's right. And you know I don't think he should be in the locker room while we're in the locker room. I wouldn't even be a part of that," he said.
Between about 3% on the low end and maybe as high as 8 or 10% on the high end. One of the tragedies of society's inordinate abuse and undue discrimination against homosexuals is that it forces so many to hide themselves from any kind of public awareness. Thus assembling any kind of demographic or archaelogical data about homosexuals within the overall population is impossible to do with the accuracy we would demand when analyzing other forms of social behavior.
10% ROFL. Be serious.
A NEWLY RELEASED REPORT from the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics reveals that only 2.3% of the population considers themselves homosexual. The statistics come from a 2002 National Survey of Family Growth and are based on 12,571 interviews with men and women ages 15-44 years of age.
You're inadvertantly echoing my earlier point. That being that any survey information related to homosexuals is bound to be skewed - though by how much no one knows.
Allegedly anonymous survey techniques help, but there's still going to be a percentage of respondents who will lie when asked if they are homosexual.
It's very akin to surveys asking people about illicit drug use. In the USA, acknowledgement of illicit drug use is a tantamount confession to breaking criminal laws. Many people therefore cannot honestly respond for a variety of reasons.
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Allegedly anonymous survey techniques help, but there's still going to be a percentage of respondents who will lie when asked if they are homosexual.
It's very akin to surveys asking people about illicit drug use. In the USA, acknowledgement of illicit drug use is a tantamount confession to breaking criminal laws. Many people therefore cannot honestly respond for a variety of reasons.
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But reverting to the posted Topic, if the percentage of gay Americans is 2.3%, then it's reasonable to submit that there's at least 100 major league athletes who are gay.
If 3%....120
If 5% ...200
Pick your percentage.
And then after a moment wondering Who might be in the Group, realize how absolutely silly it is to burn brain time wondering such things.
If 3%....120
If 5% ...200
Pick your percentage.
And then after a moment wondering Who might be in the Group, realize how absolutely silly it is to burn brain time wondering such things.
I feel if somebody is gay then they should just be straight up about and not act ashamed. I think that is the main problem society has with gays and lesbians is that they hide in their foxhole for years and then when they either about to be outed or feel they can make a profit or use their sexual preference to their advantage they decide to shout to the world they are different and then make claims that anybody that doesn't accept them is a closet homo or a product of hate.
I have always believed that if some high profile athletes or entertainers came out of the closet then it would help gays be accepted more. If somebody that was perceived as a mans-man like Bruce Willis, Magic Johnson or Bono were to say they were gay people at first would be "Holy Shit" but their body of work define them more than their sexuality. Lesbians get more of a acceptance for the same reason. You notice all of the attractive or talented lesbians come out of the closet and the world accepts them with no big spectacle such as Kristina Loken, Michelle Rodriguez, Jodie Foster, Anne Heche and Portia De Rossi. If you are an obvious gay or lesbian just come out already its 2009 its like the in thing right now to be gay or a gay supporter.
I have always believed that if some high profile athletes or entertainers came out of the closet then it would help gays be accepted more. If somebody that was perceived as a mans-man like Bruce Willis, Magic Johnson or Bono were to say they were gay people at first would be "Holy Shit" but their body of work define them more than their sexuality. Lesbians get more of a acceptance for the same reason. You notice all of the attractive or talented lesbians come out of the closet and the world accepts them with no big spectacle such as Kristina Loken, Michelle Rodriguez, Jodie Foster, Anne Heche and Portia De Rossi. If you are an obvious gay or lesbian just come out already its 2009 its like the in thing right now to be gay or a gay supporter.
Sounds like a reasonable request. Until one acknowledges that in most areas of the USA still today, making your homosexuality public can result in many social disadvantages, including - but not limited to:
1) Being denied housing (both rental and real property)
2) Being denied employment and/or
2a) Being dismissed from existing employment
3) Being obstructed on adopting children
4) Being obstructed in working a job that involves children, such as sports coach, teacher or child care.
As for the high profile individuals you cite who have publicly acknowledged their sexual preferences, they all share in common being in professions which do not have a history of unduly discriminating against homosexuals.
Further, their very strong financial lives permit them to more easily overcome any potential undue discrimination pertaining to housing or working jobs that might involve children.
Such people are unfortunately in the great minority. Most gay Americans are pretty much like you and me and cannot afford to be unduly obstructed from good housing and good employment opportunities.
Further, their very strong financial lives permit them to more easily overcome any potential undue discrimination pertaining to housing or working jobs that might involve children.
Such people are unfortunately in the great minority. Most gay Americans are pretty much like you and me and cannot afford to be unduly obstructed from good housing and good employment opportunities.
1) Being denied housing (both rental and real property) unless your flaming this shouldn't be a problem. I am black and before this recession I had a hard time finding a house to rent. Too many bad stereotypes in the owners thoughts. Loud music, domestic violence, property damage, non payment of rent, drugs and crime. Thanks to the recession owners were begging me to fill out rental applications. When your black, mexican, asian or middle-eastern you can't mask that when meeting someone person to person. A gay person could just show up to a house in regular clothes and not wear flamboyent attire or dress in drag.
2) Being denied employment and/or. same goes here as your first point. Unless you are flaming a job has no business you if you like dick or chicks. If they ask you if you are married or single you answer truthfully. If they ask you if you have a girlfriend you just say yes I am in involved in a relationship. You don't have to say you have a partner. A lot of straight people wouldn't get a job if they divulged their true personal life at an interview. If I said well in my spare time I like to gamble on sports, go to bars and happy hours to meet multiple women to have unprotected sex with, watch porn, play violent video games and drink a few beers in the evening to unwind when I am by myself. My resume would go straight to the shredder.
2a) Being dismissed from existing employment. I disagree here. Gays are a protected group in the work environment. Me being a single straight male with zero children is an unprotected group from discrimination. Also when jobs decide to do layoffs who do you think are first to go? That's right the people without a family because it is less of a hardship for them. I have been denied employment because the company felt that me at the time being under 30 years old and single I was more likely to miss more work because of my possible nightlife activities. They wanted a family man.
3) Being obstructed on adopting children. There are hundreds of thousands of unwanted black babies in this country that adoption agencies will literally pay you to adopt. Maybe if the gays weren't so concerned about the color of their baby they would have one with less red-tape.
4) Being obstructed in working a job that involves children, such as sports coach, teacher or child care. Please!!! Lesbians are PE coaches at every school and gay guys teach english, arts and crafts and theater all the time. I will admit schools may not want a queer basketball or football coach but what this country has taught me is no matter what level you coach at the institutes, programs and professional teams are very picky on who they hire. An owner or athletic program would hire a lesser qualified person if they felt comfortable or had a prior history or relationship with that person over the best canidate available. So gays would feel the same equal wrath and scrutiny as a straight person. A gay person might be denied for being gay but a straight person might get denied for being black, not being an alumnist or takes student-athletes academics too seriously.
So you're suggesting that in many parts of America, homosexuals need not fear undue discrimination in housing or hiring provided they "act normal"?
The fact is that they will still face such undue discrimination and if so, it's probably not in their best interest - at this time in history - to follow your advice in previous post.
I wish it weren't so, but until such impediments are removed from the housing and employment environments, many gay Americans are smarter to just keep quiet.
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As to your comments about how to deal with a job interview, most of the questions you mention are none of the employer's business in the first place. The challenges come into play when the potential employer is made aware the applicant is gay and then refuses to interview and/or honestly consider their application.
And I'm unaware that gay Americans are protected in most workplaces from dismissal due to their sexual preference, though if you have a citation that shows otherwise, I'm happy to be educated.
Regardless, in those workplaces where gays are not welcome, the employer need only find a different reason for dismissal and it is that kind of undue employment practice that makes it wise for many gay Americans to just keep quiet and not publicly declare their personal preferences.
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Be clear that I agree with your earlier premise in general. I look forward to the coming days ahead when gay Americans will no longer need to fear other people being aware of their homosexuality any more than you or I fear people being aware that we are heterosexual.
The fact is that they will still face such undue discrimination and if so, it's probably not in their best interest - at this time in history - to follow your advice in previous post.
I wish it weren't so, but until such impediments are removed from the housing and employment environments, many gay Americans are smarter to just keep quiet.
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As to your comments about how to deal with a job interview, most of the questions you mention are none of the employer's business in the first place. The challenges come into play when the potential employer is made aware the applicant is gay and then refuses to interview and/or honestly consider their application.
And I'm unaware that gay Americans are protected in most workplaces from dismissal due to their sexual preference, though if you have a citation that shows otherwise, I'm happy to be educated.
Regardless, in those workplaces where gays are not welcome, the employer need only find a different reason for dismissal and it is that kind of undue employment practice that makes it wise for many gay Americans to just keep quiet and not publicly declare their personal preferences.
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Be clear that I agree with your earlier premise in general. I look forward to the coming days ahead when gay Americans will no longer need to fear other people being aware of their homosexuality any more than you or I fear people being aware that we are heterosexual.
