Take one look at rugby superstar Ben Cohen or Columbia University wrestling coach Hudson Taylor and you’ll see why gay men across America are in total swoon. But the adoration is more than skin-deep. Much more. These two straight athletes are out, loud and proud advocates against homophobia and bullying, particularly against gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Ask any gay man and he’ll tell you that Cohen and Taylor are right out of central casting for the role of the popular, good-looking athlete who swoops in to tell the bullies to leave us alone.
I met these two inspiring leaders at a dinner last night hosted by the Human Rights Campaign to honor Cohen (right), who retired just 11 days ago and formed the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation to combat bullying “wherever and to whomever it occurs” with special attention on the LGBTQ community.
With Cohen in front of me and Taylor to my right, it was hard not to think of how their positive examples contrast with those of Kobe Bryant and Joakim Noah. Two professional athletes whose recent anti-gay remarks on the basketball court led to fines levied by the NBA — $100,000 for Bryant and $50,000 for Noah — and, in the case of Bryant, a PSA promoting compassion and understanding. Taylor views this as a partial victory.
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