A high- or low-light for gay boxing?
Out magazine again dips a toe into sports with this month's article about gay boxers in Manhattan, "Cinderella Men." There is some good color on the atmosphere of the featured Down Low boxing gym in New York and the boxers who venture there. There is also lots of focus on stereotypical gay behavior by the boxers, just to make sure you know these athletes are gay.
The article also reveals a growing contradiction in sports. On the one hand, the writer states that boxing is homophobic and gay boxers "need" to stay in the closet, throwing in isolated examples and relying on stereotype. On the flip side, he talks about the positive personal experiences his subjects have had coming out to friends and select people in the sport. I have to wonder why the writer chose to assert that gay boxers MUST stay in the closet (relying on a 7-year-old quote from Mike Tyson) when the empirical evidence he shared said otherwise.
A high- or low-light for gay boxing?
Out magazine again dips a toe into sports with this month's article about gay boxers in Manhattan, "Cinderella Men." There is some good color on the atmosphere of the featured Down Low boxing gym in New York and the boxers who venture there. There is also lots of focus on stereotypical gay behavior by the boxers, just to make sure you know these athletes are gay.
The article also reveals a growing contradiction in sports. On the one hand, the writer states that boxing is homophobic and gay boxers "need" to stay in the closet, throwing in isolated examples and relying on stereotype. On the flip side, he talks about the positive personal experiences his subjects have had coming out to friends and select people in the sport. I have to wonder why the writer chose to assert that gay boxers MUST stay in the closet (relying on a 7-year-old quote from Mike Tyson) when the empirical evidence he shared said otherwise.
Still, it's welcome that Out continues to pursue sports-related stories.
It's fantastic that this group of gay boxers has arisen. I know I get a lot out of playing football with gay groups. I couldn't find contact info for organizer Curdell Hoskins, but if you want to box and can track him down, it sounds like he'd love to have you.
The article isn't online yet; We'll link to it when it is.
