CBC Connect with Mark Kelley interviews Justin Bourne on Gay Athletes (Brendan Burke)

[poodtang1]

With all due respect it's not like it was for black people in the 60's. For many many straight people still few being gay as something abnormal, gross, weird, creepy

It's been much more difficult for gays then for black people speaking as a gay white man. At the same time it's easier for me to blend in with straight people bacause i don't come off as abviously gay, no offense.

And it's like this with many gay guys. You wouldn't know unless we wanted you too.

[tigergreg8]

So sad that the person they are talking about, Brendan Burke died at the age of 21 in a car accident. The passenger who was in the car with him also died. RIP Brendan.

[GoWestYoungMan]

Black people dealt with the same culture of intimidation back in the 1950s and 1960s.

[GoWestYoungMan]

It's not about being popular.

[SDC555]

You don't have to fit in to play sports. Sports teams have cliques just like any other type of group one might be involved with. You always have players who aren't part of the inner circle. That's ok. Some of the best players tend to stay on the outside. Not everybody playing sports is social or popular. It's false to think that if you're gay and on a sports team, you'll be on the outside looking in.

[GoWestYoungMan]

I thought about playing football at high school, but knew how difficult that would be. I was terrified of being found out so I gave up any ideas about football and gravitated to swimming and tennis where I could play sports, but be by myself, and feel safe.

[GoWestYoungMan]

There's intense pressure to fit in and fear that coming out will result in mockery, abandonment, rejection, reprisals, beating, or worse.

Many gay people are terrified of coming out in general. Coming out to your team? That's a very daunting thing. 99.9% of them keep their mouths shut and may even do some gay bashing themselves to prove that they are one of the team.

It's the fear of what might happen that's so devastating. Many just leave sports altogether.

[GoWestYoungMan]

The sports locker room is a very hostile place for a gay person. Especially in team sports there's a culture of conformity, coming off tough, misogyny, and a herd mentality.

[theknightswhosay]

Don't they let all kinds of people into these locker rooms anyway? If no one not affiliated with the team ever walked into one, then I might understand. But I just don't get it.

Gay people use locker rooms and men's bathrooms in the general public all the time as well. So if the average person isn't so sensitive, why are professional athletes?

[twins1729]

Thanks so much for this video.

This makes me wonder, is hockey the only sport (at least out of the four major sports) that the players tend to use gay slurs constantly? In a way, I hope not. Hockey is my favorite sport, and being an active supporter of gay rights, it would disappoint me if football was gay slur free. Okay, maybe not disappoint me, but I hope someone understands where I'm coming from.

Well, again, thanks! I love Brendan Burke's story. :)

[emeralds222]

Great story... denigration of people leads not only to anti social results, but expensive problems like kids turning to drug addiction and other harmful means. Being inclusive is a much healthier path to take.