U.S. Attacked

By Jim Buzinski and Cyd Zeigler Jr.
Outsports.com

To those who knew Mark Bingham, he was a warm, friendly, funny, smart, handsome man who welcomed people into his life.  He was the kind of guy to easily share a beer with and had the ability to make total strangers feel an immediate sense of comfort and trust. He also likely committed an act of heroism that saved countless lives during this week of unspeakable tragedy.

Bingham, 31, was one of the passengers killed when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in western Pennsylvania on Tuesday after being hijacked en route from Newark to San Francisco. From reports that surfaced on Wednesday it appears Bingham was part of a group of passengers that decided to attack the hijackers by rushing the cockpit. The ensuing struggle apparently caused the plane to crash in a remote, unpopulated area. Authorities said it appeared the presidential retreat at Camp David in Maryland or the capital in Washington, D.C., was the intended target of the hijackers. 

According to the Los Angeles Times, passenger Jeremy Glick, who was able to make four frantic cell-phone calls to his wife, told her in his final, desperate message: ‘‘We’re going to rush the hijackers.’’  There is no doubt in our minds that Bingham, a strapping 6-5 rugby player, would have been in on the action. After all, this was the same guy who once ran with the bulls at Pamplona.

His aunt, Kathy Bingham, told the Los Angeles Times, "You’d have to know Mark — he was no wallflower, no pushover.  He wasn’t the kind of guy to be pushed around. So I’m sure he and the others did something to stop this.’’ 

Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha was convinced that the passengers had acted to prevent an even greaterloss of life. ``There had to have been a struggle, and someone heroically kept the plane from heading to Washington," Murtha told the Washington Post.

Bingham, who ran a public relations firm, was a member of our community.  A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, he was a member of the Golden Bears' national champion rugby team in the 1990s.  In the past year he helped organize the San Francisco Fog, a gay rugby team.  He was also planning to field a touch rugby team for next year's Gay Games in Sydney.

We at Outsports knew Mark from two flag football games between our Los Angeles team and his San Francisco team.  He was a terrific athlete, with the hands of Cris Carter and the strength of Daunte Culpepper.  His spirit was even more impressive and memorable, his big smile and boisterous personality dominating the social events after each game.

Today we we sent an e-mail, recently written by Mark, that he sent to his Fog rugby team in San Francisco, after they were accepted into the straight California Rugby League.  Some great words written by, truly, a great man:

"When I started playing rugby at the age of 16, I always thought that my interest in other guys would be an anathema -- completely repulsive to the guys on my team -- and to the people I was knocking the shit out of on the other team. I loved the game, but KNEW I would need to keep my sexuality a secret forever. I feared total rejection.

As we worked and sweated and ran and talked together this year, I finally felt accepted as a gay man and a rugby player. My two irreconcilable worlds came together.

Now we've been accepted into the union and the road is going to get harder.

We need to work harder. We need to get better. We have the chance to be role models for other gay folks who wanted to play sports, but never felt good enough or strong enough. More importantly, we have the chance to show the other teams in the league that we are as good as they are. Good rugby players. Good partiers. Good sports. Good men. 

Gay men weren't always wallflowers waiting on the sideline. We have the opportunity to let these other athletes know that gay men were around all along - on their little league teams, in their classes, being their friends.

This is a great opportunity to change a lot of people's minds, and to reach a group that might never have had to know or hear about gay people. Let's go make some new friends...and win a few games. Congratulations, my brothers in rugby.

Mb"

To post your thoughts on Mark Bingham, visit our Discussion Board.

Sept. 12, 2001