When University of Nebraska assistant football coach Ron Brown made anti-gay comments recently - among other things, he threatened the Omaha city council with eternal damnation if it passed a bill prohibiting businesses from firing workers because they're gay - many people were outraged.
Akil Patterson was too. But he understood better than many others where Brown was coming from. Patterson is a former Division I football player. Like Brown, he's African American.
But Patterson's life path has been very different. A gay man, Patterson is dedicating his life to making sure that young athletes do not get bullied or harassed for any reason. Particularly for being gay.
[...]
That openness has enabled him to reach out to others, through something he calls The Patterson Project [HERE].
"It's a mission of love," he says. Through it - by blogging, speaking and serving as a role model - Patterson educates whoever will listen, from elementary school youth through college students, about the importance of being true to yourself.
"The Patterson Project offers a different spin on the life of LGBT athletes, because it doesn't just focus on sexuality," he says. He emphasizes the mental, physical, social and psychological aspects of living life with integrity. He learned many of those skills while working in youth detention centers and courts. With his imposing size (he's 6-foot-3-inches) and athletic accomplishments (he's still a highly ranked Greco-Roman grappler), Patterson has vowed to counter the destructive influences of people like Ron Brown.
As a big, strong athlete, he knows he does not fit the stereotype of a gay man. He could easily "pass" as a straight jock - he did for years, all through college. But Patterson says that would not serve anyone well. Not him, and not young athletes who need role models.
Keep reading HERE.
No comments:
Post a Comment