ABSTRACT
The world of sports, just like American society as a whole, suffers from a strong homophobic bias that refuses to acknowledge homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle. The reality of discrimination reminds athletes that coming out can seriously detract from their career hopes. Finding professional athletes who are comfortable talking about their gayness and the experiences they encountered in the sports world is difficult. The world of sports, just like American society as a whole, suffers from a strong homophobic bias that refuses to acknowledge homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle. The courts upheld the National Olympics Committee’s ownership of the word “olympics” when used to describe athletic competitions. In the gay community, discrimination is a source of further alienation, especially because the term “Gay Olympics” more clearly defines who is competing than the term “Special Olympics.” Nevertheless, the competition does continue as the “Gay Games,” held in different locations around the world every four years.
