Time once again for Outsports to stop the clock for an instant reply of the week that was. It’s my way of memorializing the glorious victories, the ignominious defeats, and the players and personalities who made them, lived them or just couldn’t avoid them.

I realize my roster may differ from yours, and I welcome your comments, contributions and critiques. I read them all! Details on how to reach me are below, after our look at the winners, losers and hopefuls for the past seven days.

Winners: NHL Teams celebrating LGBTQ fans, beginning with the NJ Devils, who hosted the first Pride night of the year

The New Jersey Devils hosted their Hockey For Everyone event over the weekend to raise awareness and money for LGBTQ groups. They were followed by the Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers.

Loser: Peter Gammons sidesteps the issue of transphobia to defend Curt Schilling

The Hall of Fame baseball writer dismisses Schilling’s anti-trans posts as “some odd beliefs.”

Hopeful: Amini Fonua talks about representing a country that makes gay people illegal

Amini Fonua swam for Tonga in two Olympics. He’s hoping to make it a three-peat as he pushes for gay equality in his home nation.

Winner: Openly LGBTQ 49ers assistant coach Katie Sowers featured in Microsoft NFL ad

Katie Sowers is a pioneer in the NFL coaching ranks, as a woman and openly gay.

Losers: Lawmakers in 6 states take action to restrict trans student athletes

Lawmakers in New Hampshire, Washington, Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri and Alabama are the latest to try to restrict participation in sports according to a student athlete’s gender presumed at birth.

Hopeful: Scott Frantz will be an out gay player on an NFL team this summer

Scott Frantz has played three seasons for Kansas State after coming out as gay. Now he’s poised to play in the NFL.

Winner: Greg Louganis celebrates his upcoming birthday with Matt Bomer, other actors and athletes at Gold Meets Golden

Matt Bomer led a crowd of athletes and actors singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Olympic champion Greg Louganis.

Losers: Westboro protesters who targeted Maui high school over trans student athlete

Two members of the Westboro Baptist Church out of Topeka, Kansas held signs and played music today as a protest to transgender inclusion at a school on Maui, according to mauinow.com. The demonstration drew a crowd of about 15 to 30 counter-protesters fronting Maui High School, and between 60 and 100 counter-protestors in front of the Queen Kaʻahumanu Center in Kahului.

Hopeful: Athletes are helping victims of Australia’s bushfires. Here’s how you can, too

Please consider donating, if you can.

Winner: Dave Lohse, pioneering openly gay college SID, retires at North Carolina

Dave Lohse was a pioneer for LGBTQ people in college sports administration.

Loser: Chick-fil-A CEO reportedly has a “change of heart”

In a letter to Tim Wildmon, the president of the anti-LGBTQ extremist hate group, the American Family Association, Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy addressed a recent move by the fast food restaurant chain’s charitable foundation to exclude two Christian organizations from future funding: the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army. “We inadvertently discredited several outstanding organizations that have effectively served communities for years,” Cathy wrote in the December 5th letter, first reported by conservative radio host Todd Starnes in a Town Hall op-ed. The CEO’s letter does not say specifically that the Chick-fil-A Foundation will once again be funding the FCA or Salvation Army, but does give them enormous wiggle room to reconsider its giving strategy in the future. We’ll be watching.

Hopeful: Olympian Sarka Pancochova won’t marry her girlfriend until it’s legal for all Czechs

Sarka Pancochova talks about her girlfriend, marriage, coming out in the Czech Republic and that 2018 Olympic competition.

Winner: Ashley Vox of Team Sea Stars crowned first ever Battle Club Pro tag team champion

Alongside her sister, Delmi Exo, Vox became the second out LGBTQ current champion in Battle Club Pro at last Saturday’s One For All event.

Winner: Reggie Bullock puts tribute up front in first Knicks start

Rainbow hair in tribute to his slain sisters leads Knicks forward and shooting guard Reggie Bullock’s comeback from injury.

Winner: Openly gay MiLB Diversity Specialist recognized on 40 LGBTQ Leaders Under 40 List

Ben Pereira’s work overseeing Pride Nights for over 70 MiLB teams is recognized by BEQ Magazine

Loser: Me

When Fallon Fox, the first MMA fighter to come out as transgender, beamed up to The Trans Sporter Room last weekend, she looked back at her battles just to compete and confessed her love of anime. Earlier this month, she was named the winner of the Outsports Bravery Award for her trailblazing achievements in the decade of 2009-2019. But she rightfully objected to the total lack of trans women named to the Outsports 20 List. That was an inadvertent error. We did name two trans men: Chris Mosier and Mack Beggs. It’s my bad. I regret the error.

Hopeful: Outsports nominated for GLAAD Media Award for coverage of trans women athletes

Outsports is again honored by GLAAD for its outstanding digital journalism, this time for covering transgender athletes in women’s sports. Co-founder Cyd Zeigler and I share this nomination, the sixth one from GLAAD in the last decade. Fingers crossed we win this time!

That’s all for this week! I’ll bring you a fresh list of winners and losers next Saturday. Got a name I missed, or want to challenge my choices? Comment here or on Facebook or Instagram, tweet at us, message me via any social media, or just plain email me at [email protected] Thanks!

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