David Kopay video for Nike LGBT Sport Summit

Via Outsports, David Kopay, the first former professional athlete to come out of the closet, talks about his experiences and his hope for the future, for the participants at the Nike LGBT Sports Summit.

David Kopay one of Interpride magazine's "Game Changers"

The 2012 Interpride magazine features 16 "Game Changers", "16 amazing Americans who are giving their
all to promote equality on (and off) the court". Among those featured is Gay Games Ambassador David Kopay:

Even if you don’t follow sports or politics—or weren’t even born in the ’70s—you’ve probably heard David Kopay’s name. And there is a reason for that. He is, by almost all accounts, the single most important figure in gay sports history. An all-American running back at the University of Washington in 1964, he later signed with the San Francisco 49ers, playing with them for nine years and earning a reputation as one of the toughest players in the NFL at the time. His coming out in 1975 shattered the stereotype that gays weren’t masculine enough to play a sport like football. His biography, The David Kopay Story (published two years later), detailed his life in the closet and was a surprise best-seller that has gone on to inspire gays and lesbians for nearly 40 years. In a sport where only two other players have ever publicly acknowledged their sexuality, Kopay’s story
is as relevant now as it was then, and he still is a regular on the speakers’ circuit debating the issue of gays in sports

Read the article here:

Open publication - Free publishing - More 2012

David Kopay and Roger Brigham talk about LGBT people and sport on "Out in the Bay"

Gay Games Ambassadors David Kopay and Chris Morgan
with Roger Brigham and Gene Dermody
at closing ceremony of Gay Games VII, Chicago 2006

From KALW radio's Out in the Bay program:

Queers - and homophobia - in sports. In 1975, former 49er [and Gay Games Ambassador] David Kopay came out as gay, wrote a bestselling book about it, and rocked the sports world. 37 years later, despite all the gains for gay rights generally, only a handful of major athletes have followed him out of the closet. He’s still an activist and athlete, and the official race starter for this year’s SF FrontRunners Pride Run, June 23 in Golden Gate Park. Kopay shared his story on Out in the Bay.

Joining him to talk about queer athletes and homophobia in sports were Helen Carroll, who leads the Sports Project at the National Center for Lesbian Rights; Roger Brigham, "Jock Talk" writer for the Bay Area Reporter [and FGG board member and founder of the Equality Coaching Alliance]; and long-time FrontRunner Katharine Holland. Eric Jansen hosts.

Listen HERE.

7 June 2012 / David Kopay and Roger Brigham to speak on Bay Area radio program on LGBT sport

Gay Games Ambassadors David Kopay and Chris Morgan
with Roger Brigham and Gene Dermody
at closing ceremony of Gay Games VII, Chicago 2006

Gay Games Ambassador David Kopay and FGG board member Roger Brigham will participation in a discussion on LGBT sports and athletes Thursday, 7 June, on San Francisco radio station KALW 91.7 FM's "Out in the Bay" program.

Also being interviewed by host Eric Jansen will be Helen Carroll, director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights Sports Project, and runner Katharine Holland of San Francisco FrontRunners. The interview will air at 7 p.m. Pacific time and be available through a simultaneous webcast and later on podcast at www.outinthebay.com. 

Out in the Bay is the beneficiary this year of money raised by the 33rd annual SF FrontRunners Pride Run, 23 June in Golden Gate Park. 

Former National Football League player Kopay came out in 1975, making him the first athlete in any major American professional team sport to come out. Kopay remains an outspoken advocate in the fight against homophobia in sports.

Brigham, while coaching wrestling in Alaska and serving as sports editor of the Anchorage Daily News, was inspired by Kopay's example when he came out early in 1982, making him the first openly gay sports editor at a major metropolitan daily newspaper. Brigham is now the sports columnist for the Bay Area Reporter, the chairman of Wrestlers Without Borders, and a wrestling coach at San Francisco's Mission High School. He is the founder of Equality Coaching Alliance.

David Kopay in Advocate Hall of Fame

The Advocate is celebrating its 45th anniversary and is naming a member of the Hall of Fame for each year. Gay Games Ambassador David Kopay is the hero for 1976 (hat tip to Outsports): 

Dave Kopay tried to fit the profile of a squeaky-clean, all-American football player, and for the most part, he did. Kopay was a star at Notre Dame High School in Los Angeles and was recruited to play at the University of Washington. As co-captain of the Huskies, Kopay led his team to the Pac-10 conference title, and he was named an All-American running back. Kopay was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1964, and led the team in rushing yards in his rookie year. He dated girls and even married a woman, but Kopay knew he was gay.

Kopay was later recruited by the Washington Redskins under legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi, whose brother was gay. The team's assistant general manager and the sport's information director were also gay. Kopay had dated tight end Jerry Smith, a 13-year veteran of the Redskins who later died due to AIDS in the 1980s.

Kopay retired in 1973. Two years later, a frustrated Kopay read an anonymously sourced article about gay athletes and decided it was time. He became the first NFL player to come out and gave an interview to The Advocate in 1976. He later wrote The David Kopay Story, a best-seller in 1977. Though he did apply for coaching jobs in the NFL and college football, Kopay said he largely believes he was turned away because of his sexual orientation.

Since then, Kopay has been working in his family's business while remaining a voice for gay athletes. Only a handful of professional athletes have come out since Kopay, but his story endures as more young athletes look to his example and guidance in their own coming out.
-Michelle Garcia

LZ Granderson on the progress made by the NFL

LZ Granderson writes in his ESPN column on the progress made by the NFL in the field of homophobia:

It's been about 10 years since former NFL lineman Esera Tuaolo told HBO's "Real Sports" that he was gay. A lot has changed in the game since then.

Back then Tuaolo, who played in Super Bowl XXXIII, said he stayed in hiding for fear he could lose his career. Today, the owners of both the New York Giants and New England Patriots have publicly come out in support of marriage equality.
[+] EnlargeDavid Kopay, Esera Tuaolo
Gregg DeGuire/WireImageDavid Kopay, left was the first former NFL player to come out. Esera Tuaolo was the third.

Back then one-time teammate Sterling Sharpe, in reaction to Tuaolo's news, said an openly gay player wouldn't make it to his next game. Today, Section 1 of the NFL's new collective bargaining agreement reads: "No Discrimination: There will be no discrimination in any form against any player by the Management Council, any Club or by the NFLPA [NFL Players Association] because of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or activity or lack of activity on behalf of the NFLPA."

Over the years I have used my space on this website to chastise the sports world for dragging its collective feet when it comes to the topic of gays and lesbians in sports. But just as I have criticized boldly in the past, I also need to boldly applaud the progress made, particularly in the NFL.

Shortly after the lockout was lifted and the CBA ratified, NFLPA spokesman George Atallah said: "We certainly believe, speaking for the Players Association, that we have a tremendous social and cultural impact. We definitely understand the effect that we have on society and culture, and we feel we have a responsibility to have very high standards. With something like discrimination of any kind, we just want to make sure we are a symbol for good."

Gay Games Ambassador David Kopay LGBT History Month Icon

Gay Games Ambassador David Kopay was the Icon for 21 October for Equality Forum's LGBT History Month series:

b. June 28, 1942

“I hear from people all over the world that my coming out has empowered them in their search for self.”

Dave Kopay made headlines in 1975 when he became the first NFL payer and one of the first professional athletes to come out. His autobiography, now in its fifth printing, was a New York Times best seller.

The second of four children, Kopay was born in Chicago into a strict Roman Catholic family. When he was in grammar school, the family moved to North Hollywood, California.

Kopay began his football career at Notre Dame High School in Los Angeles, a school known for its championship athletics. He was named to the all-Catholic conference all-star football team. He enrolled at the University of Washington and as team co-captain led the Huskies to the PAC-10 conference title. The following year, he was named an All-American running back.

In 1964, Kopay was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. He was the team’s leading rusher in his rookie year. He played for five NFL teams in his nine-year career, including the Detroit Lions, the Washington Redskins, the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers.

While playing for the Redskins, Kopay had relationships with women and men, including teammate Jerry Smith, who died of AIDS in 1986. At the suggestion of his therapist, Kopay married a woman to try to fix what he perceived as a problem. The marriage lasted a year.

Three years after retiring from the NFL, Kopay came out publicly in an interview with the Washington Star. He shared details about his struggle with homophobia and sports in “The David Kopay Story,” published in 1977. Kopay pursued coaching positions with NCAA and NFL teams, but believes he wasn’t hired because he is gay. Since 1982, he has worked in his family’s business.

Kopay is one of the founding Gay Games Ambassadors, and has been present to support participating athletes and artists at every edition of the Games.

A champion of gay rights for more than 30 years, Kopay has given hundreds of speeches and media interviews. In 2007, he donated $1 million to the University of Washington’s LGBT center.

Despite suffering serious injuries during his football career, Kopay still misses the thrill of playing for the NFL. “There’s nothing like the rush of playing on Monday Night Football,” he says. “There’s nothing that will ever fill that void.”

Kopay resides in Los Angeles.

Video: watch Ben Cohen's Acceptance Tour stop at the University of Washington, featuring Gay Games Ambassador David Kopay

Description: The University of Washington was honored to welcome international rugby superstar Ben Cohen MBE to campus for a conversation about ending homophobia in sports and bullying in schools. Ben is joined by special guests from varying aspects of sports in a panel discussion about the movement to end homophobia in the athletic world. The English star is on a North American tour to discuss his new foundation, The Ben Cohen Stand Up Foundation, which supports organizations that advance equality and combat bullying against LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) youth. Ben, who is married with two daughters, is among the world’s great athletes, ranking second in all-time scoring for England. He is first, however, among straight professional athletes to focus his philanthropic efforts for the benefit of the LGBT community.

Speakers:
Ben Cohen, rugby athlete; founder, The Ben Cohen Stand Up Foundation
David Kopay, UW graduate; America’s first professional athlete (NFL) to come out
Jennifer Hoffman, assistant professor, UW College of Education, Center for Leadership in Athletics
Jennifer Self, director, Q Center, UW’s LGBTQ resource and services center
Shannon Kelly, associate athletic director, UW Intercollegiate Athletics

Round up on stories on the "is sport homophobic?" issue

The NY Daily News Sports Zone column describes the current moment as the turning point in coming out, but opens with a look back at the pioneers, in the form of Gay Games Ambassador David Kopay:

When Dave Kopay came out in 1975, three years after he retired from the NFL, he figured gay athletes' fight to win mainstream acceptance and respect would be measured in years, not decades.

It wasn't just wishful thinking: Kopay and his teammate Jerry Smith were never completely open about their relationship when they played for the Washington Redskins, but they never hid it, either, says Kopay. Most of the other players cared more about what Kopay and Smith did on the field than what they did behind closed doors. Kopay says even the Redskins' coach, the iconic Vince Lombardi, didn't seem to have a problem with the fact that Kopay and Smith were lovers. If the most respected and beloved figure in NFL history didn't have a problem with homosexuality, why should any other coach, athlete or sports fan?

But Kopay, a running back who played for five teams during his nine-year career, learned the hard way that the wide world of sports didn't want to make room for gays. He had been considered an excellent coaching prospect, but by the time his autobiography, "The David Kopay Story," was published in 1977, college athletic directors and NFL general managers wanted nothing to do with him. He still sounds shocked, more than 30 years later, by the hostility he encountered when he was interviewed by reporters and talk-show hosts about the book, and by the ugly phone calls and letters he received from anti-gay bigots.

"I am very pleased to have been part of the change that has occurred in sports," Kopay says, "but I didn't think it would take 35 years."

---

From the RealFooty column in the Brisbane Times:

Which raises the question, one that should greatly annoy those athletes whose intelligence, maturity and sensitivity is insulted every time the (non) issue of a gay athlete ''going public'' is raised: Why is it still assumed - particularly by the media - that an athlete would be subjected to ridicule by teammates if he declared himself to be the only gay in the sheds? Why, years after openly gay athletes such as Ian Roberts and Matthew Mitcham revealed their sexuality, are footballers, particularly, still portrayed through their supposed attitudes towards homosexuals to be knuckle-dragging throwbacks who love beer, birds and barbies and hate poofters?

---

J. Rudy Flesher claims there is no homophobia in sports, based on his own experience on a college rugby team:

Let me be emphatic here: As an out, queer, gender non-​conforming person, there was absolutely no environment more utterly accepting of me, or that did more to foster my sense of confidence and self-​worth, than playing for The College of New Jersey Lions Men’s Rugby Football Club. Yes you read that right. Rugby — one of the world’s most brutal contact sports — with team rosters positively overflowing with intelligent, sensitive, straight allies.


He feels that the whole issue is made up by the media to generate controversy, and thus page views, and thus ad revenue:

Let’s do a little basic capitalist math. News organizations make their money selling ads. Controversy gets more readers, and more readers mean more can be charged for ads, hence higher profits. Cue the Times digging up a four year-​old quote by retired player Tim Hardaway, originally in response to John Amaechi’s coming out, that he would never play with a gay teammate. Journalists can make the claim that they are reporting in this way for “balance,” but a years-​old, out of context quote wouldn’t pass muster in a journalism 101 class, and the Times should be ashamed for reporting in this way. In doing so, they further unfounded fears of closeted athletes, and negative stereotypes of straight athletes being homophobic.

He seems to have high expectations for behavior of pro athletes, ones that are belied by their behavior in just about any area of their life, on and off the field:

What mattered to my team is what matters to any team: winning, and doing so with fine sportsmanship. Why would pro athletes, all of whom are relatively young, and many, especially in the NFL and increasingly in the NBA, are college-​educated, feel any differently? Youth and education are two of the best predictors for being an LGBT ally. I do not doubt that if the Times chose to do a survey of pro athletes, rather than finding one or two contentious bigots to quote, the results would back me up on this.

---

The True Hoops affiliate blog "Valley of the Suns" takes a in-depth look at the NBA:


For those not interested in thinking about the growing relationship between sports and social issues, this is your warning to stop reading. Whether you like it or not, as a basketball fan, there are going to be times when sports and society become intertwined. Now is one of those times.

In case you hadn’t noticed, the Phoenix Suns are not making a ton of headlines right now, at least not for basketball reasons. While talk will soon turn to what the Suns will do with the 13th pick in the draft, the big news on Planet Orange right now is the recent public announcement by Suns president and CEO Rick Welts that he is gay.

The immediate reactions, while mostly positive and supportive, ranged from praise of Welts’ courage to questions of why the fact is newsworthy. But no matter the attitude, it got the basketball world talking about a topic often avoided like the plague in all sports. From Charles Barkley to current Sun Grant Hill, many big basketball names are making their opinion known.

The NBA has been the most progressive of the major sports leagues in recent years and the Suns have been one of the more progressive teams with forward-thinking players who chose to take a stand against an immigration bill in the middle of a playoff series last year. The events following Welts’ announcement and Hill and Jared Dudley’s anti-bullying PSA only further solidify that.

But they have also sparked a number of questions about what is next in the NBA’s gay future. In the context of recent events, I’ll try to address those questions, citing the relevant sources.

When will the NBA see an openly gay player?

It’s hard to tell when the NBA environment will get to where a player is comfortable being openly gay, but Welts’ coming out is a step toward that. An out executive is much different than an out player for a number of reasons, but the fact that a prominent figure in an NBA organization is able to be out and so supported is an indication that at some point the same will apply to a player.

Former NBA player John Amaechi, who came out after retirement, said last week it will likely still be a while before a player feels comfortable coming out. One of the big reasons, Amaechi said, is the amount of prominent sports figures who “speak about gay people with such derision and utter disrespect that it would make it very difficult for the people around them to come out.”

While executives, and college athletes like former Villanova player Will Sheridan, coming out is progress, it may be at least a few more seasons before an active player does so.

However, it may be the case — and completely reasonable if it was — that a player does not feel a need to make his sexuality public. He may just share it with his teammates. Straight players do not publicly announce that they are straight so gay players might not feel a need to publicly announce they are gay.

Keep reading HERE.

More and more athletes are coming out: let's not forget the first flakes of this snowball effect

David Kopay

Ross Forman in the Windy City Times and Cyd Ziegler in Outsports take a look at the incredible number of sports figures who have come out so far this year.

Cyd counts a total of 25 for the year to date, and notes for the month of January alone, the following:

• Steve Buckley, Boston Herald sports reporter
• Johnny Weir, Olympic figure skater
• Travon Free, former Long Beach State men’s basketball player (bisexual)
• Akil Patterson, greco-roman wrestler
• Brad Usselman, Washington high school runner
• Robert Scott, high school soccer player
• Ben Newcomer, high school soccer player

In his piece, Ross quotes Cyd: "My prediction for 2015 is, we will look back at 2011 as the year gay equality in sports made its seismic shift. While we might not have our Jackie Robinson, 2011 will be our 1947", in his in-depth look at the situation, including kudos to straight allies like hockey's Burke family and Athlete Ally founder Hudson Taylor.

These are great observations, but we wanted to add our own: the idea of a phenomenon "snowballing" is that it starts small and slow, and gradually picks up more and more speed, and grows bigger and bigger, faster and faster. Anything that snowballs starts somewhere. The sports figures that have come out so far this year will make it easier for even more athletes, officials, administrators, journalists and others in the world of sports to live their lives openly as gay men and women.  And it was those who came out in 2010 who made it easier for this year's crop. And the ones that came out before them, and before them.

Our goal and our hope is that it shouldn't require courage to come out: it should be perfectly natural, perfectly safe. Those coming out now are brave. And those who came out before were even braver. So let's celebrate the growing number of out sports figures, but not forget, and not forget to thank, those that came before them.Thanks to Tom Waddell, to Dave Kopay, to Billie Jean King, and all those who followed!

Flashback to Gay Games VIII via Outsports videos: Proposition 8 decision

At Gay Games VIII last summer, Outsports produced a series of video reports on various sports. We're pleased to show them here again.

Today, reactions from participants (including Gay Games Ambassador David Kopay and former FGG board member Charlie Carson) to the California Proposition 8 ruling on same-sex marriage, that took place during Gay Games VIII:

Profile of Gay Games Ambassador David Kopay on Seattle TV

Watch the full episode. See more KCTS 9 Connects.

A great profile of Gay Games Ambassador Dave Kopay.

Outsports featured in New York Times

Our congratulations to Jim and Cyd from Outsports on the excellent article on Outsports.com that has just appeared in the New York Times. Here's an extract:

LOS ANGELES — In the past couple of weeks, a Web site called Outsports.com has written about a Brigham Young athlete who abided by the university’s honor code despite his homosexuality, published an essay from a gay basketball player at a Catholic girls school in California, and featured the Miami (Ohio) hockey team a year after the death of the openly gay student manager Brendan Burke, a son of Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke.

Outsports previously tracked the travails of two college coaches who said they were fired because of their sexual orientation, broke the story of George Washington University’s transgender basketball player, and interviewed at length the gay rugby star Gareth Thomas.

And on Super Bowl Sunday, Outsports offered both analysis — including a pregame “Super Bowl for the clueless” segment — and opinion, including a wrap-up segment on “hot players of the game.”

“The core of what we do is cover the nexus of gays and sports,” said Cyd Zeigler, one of the Web site’s two founders. “And there is no competition.”

The fact that Outsports could still seem so distinctive a couple of decades into the age of the Internet— with its endless assortment of blogs, Web sites, chat groups and more —says something about the enduring taboo of being a gay athlete.

But if rare, Outsports remains plenty busy. It is not about outing athletes, the site’s founders say, but supporting them, and it attracts hundreds of thousands of eyeballs every month. Over the years it has published an array of breaking news stories and first-person essays, sometimes written anonymously, often not.

In February 2010, for instance, Andrew McIntosh, a lacrosse player at Oneonta College in New York, wrote about his anguish over the decision to tell his friends that he is gay. Outsports provided the forum.

“There’s nothing as revolutionary as Outsports,” McIntosh said in a telephone interview from Fresno, Calif., where he is teaching and coaching lacrosse. “It offers a venue for athletes who have come out, or who are closeted, to get to know others, to not feel alone.”

Zeigler and Jim Buzinski, the site’s other founder, are the site’s only two employees. Theirs remains the only substantial Web site devoted to the widening intersection of sports and gay issues, offering a blend of blog posts, breaking news, photo galleries and commentary.

Keep reading HERE, where you'll find some commentary on the site from Gay Games Ambassador David Kopay.

David Kopay, John Amaechi, Billy Bean, Esera Tuaolo at HRC and It Takes a Team 2007 sports panel

A panel of openly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender athletes — including Gay Games Ambassadors David Kopay, John Amaechi, Billy Bean, Esera Tuaolo — took a stand in Atlanta with It Takes A Team! and HRC during the NCAA Men's Final Four basketball tournament, raising awareness about GLBT equality in the sports world.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Outsports at 10 looks back at David Kopay story

From a 2002 Outsports profile of FGG Ambassador David Kopay:

Kopay has come a long way since his days as a pro from 1964-72. He talks with an obvious sadness about the isolation and self-loathing he felt when he was coming to grips with his homosexuality.

“The biggest fag-haters I know are the ones who are most confused and I was one of them,” he said.

It’s hard to imagine that this is the same man who became an outspoken champion of gay rights over the course of 25 years, appearing on numerous radio and TV shows and in newspapers and giving hundreds of speeches. He remains one of the handful of professional athletes who have come out. He still gets mail and phone calls from people who have been touched by his book. Kopay’s message through the years has remained constant: Be yourself.

“I always let [audiences] relate to me as an athlete and as a man,’’ said Kopay, who added that young people most identify with his plea for fairness in the treatment of gay people.

Fairness is a common theme with Kopay and it’s obvious he never felt he was fairly treated by football once he came out. He is angry that “there never was a shot for me” in coaching, though he admits his pride and struggles with his homosexuality played a big part at the time. He is also angry that the “NFL has totally run away from me,” instead of acknowledging the positive contributions he has made for gay rights. Kopay added that he would jump at the chance to be a diversity speaker for the league.

Kopay agrees that sports still lag behind the rest of society in its acceptance of gays, “ but that we are making progress.” He is blunt when asked how straights could co-exist with openly gay teammates in lockerrooms: “We’ve been trained since we’re very young to not pay attention to other men. …. Why is it that every heterosexual man thinks every gay man wants his ass?”

Read the full story HERE.

Live from Cologne - Me and former NFL great David Kopay

On the Saturday of Opening Ceremony I came out of the media center to listen to the band rehearsal and walk around the stadium a bit. There sitting by himself was David Kopay, FGG Ambassador and former NFL player (American style professional football for the non-Americans).

I was able to sit and talk with David for about 30 minutes about the present state of the NFL and the possibility of a player coming out (he thinks its not likely soon). We also talked about his surgeries as he's had both hips and a shoulder replaced, as well as his exercise regimen. He swims 3 times a week and runs 3 times a week, and has dropped more than 20 pounds since his last surgery. He looks great - a good example to those of us ... ahem ... you ... who are getting older and want to stay active. :-)

Read more about David at the FGG website.

Photo by Kevin Boyer