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The OutField: A Softball Coach Reflects

By Dan Woog

Sports fans love trivia. But even the most obsessive jock-lover might not know the answer to this query: "Who is the only openly gay male Division I college coach in the country, and what is his sport?"
OK, it's kind of a trick question: Oregon State University's Kirk Walker coaches women's softball.
But just because the nation's only out D-I coach works with the (ahem) Lady Beavers, don't think he's not a trailblazer.
His quiet, low-key openness (and the daughter he shares with his partner, Randy Baltimore) have helped create a true "family" environment on his team. He has helped open eyes and hearts on diamonds far beyond the college town of Corvallis.
In addition, his unique position – straddling both the gay and straight communities, and the male and female sports worlds – allows him to observe trends and offer observations that most of us with narrow perspectives may not see, or seldom talk about.
For example, Walker says, the percentage of gay male athletes is probably "higher" in sports than in society as a whole. Based on all he has seen, heard, and felt, Walker makes the stunning assertion that there are more gay men in America's locker rooms than in our schools, offices, factories, even military barracks.
We're here, we're queer, and we toss footballs, hit homers, and inject steroids, just like the straight boys.
Walker cites several reasons why sports attracts gay males – and keeps them closeted. One is that boys who are questioning their sexuality, or fear they are gay, may gravitate toward athletics because it eliminates speculation by others – and eases their own doubts. "Because so few people associate homosexuality with sports, being an athlete is a way to 'prove' you're not gay," he says. "You don't have to say anything, to yourself or anyone else. It's just an expectation most people have: If you play sports, you're straight."
Young men who know they're gay find sports "a great distraction," Walker adds. "Competitive athletics is all-encompassing. It's accepted that you focus almost of all your time and effort on training, playing, eating right, and sleeping right, so you might not have time for a social life. You can dive in with a 100 percent commitment, and that helps you deny a little bit of your sexuality."
Third, Walker says, sports are all about physicality. "Athletes admire strength and features and the grace of body movement. It's enticing. Hand in hand with that goes a sense of community and closeness with peers. In place of true physical contact, you can be close to other males – and that's accepted, even applauded. You get positive feedback, and have close relationships."
Tying all those reasons together, Walker says, "The number of gay male athletes is probably higher than in many other activities."
But as gay men come out in all those other activities, they remain deep in the locker-room closet.
"Sports is still seen as a 'safe haven' from homosexuality," Walker notes. "It's a place no one thinks to question that coaches and players still make homophobic comments. A few people are out in every sport, but the fear of rejection, of losing an edge, of losing athletic success and financial success, is still there. I think people are afraid of jeopardizing all that, so for the short time they're college or professional athletes, they stay in the closet."
Walker notes that, despite popular perception, the percentage of lesbians in women's sports – including softball – is no different than in other activities. "There is no correlation between sexuality and athleticism," he notes. "Being a lesbian does not make you a better softball player. It may make you feel more comfortable in an environment with other softball players, but your sexuality won't take you to an elite level of play."
What does all this say about the intersection of sports and society? "Clearly, athletics lags behind other areas, in terms of the number of people coming out," Walker says. "But progress is being made. When someone like [Chicago White Sox manager] Ozzie Guillen makes an antigay remark, people call him on it."
Walker says that negativity – whether about gays, or demeaning athletes in the belief that it toughens them up – is not an effective way to coach. In the 21st century, he believes, the best coaches treat their athletes as human beings – and that means understanding that some of those human beings are gay. On his own team, his being out has created a comfort level that, he says, translates into "a solid, trusting family environment." He says that environment is something all coaches should strive for, no matter what the gender or sport.
Yet if the sports world lags behind society in terms of openness and acceptance, the gay community bears part of the burden. For years, "gay athlete" was an oxymoron. "The only time openly gay men were interested in a team was when it had a good-looking guy in a uniform," he says. On the other hand, other gay men "would never pick up "The Advocate." But they check out the sports pages every day."
One thing is certain, Walker says: "If a gay athlete comes out, there will be huge interest from gay men who never watched sports before."

filed October 15, 2007

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