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I’ve been watching a lot of the Tour de France this week, as I’m a semi-rabid cyclist myself and love a good athletic endeavor, male or female. But heck, if I’m going to watch Lycra-clad butts for hours a day, I’d really rather they were of the female variety. (Because I want to emulate their cycling style, of course. What did you think I meant?)
Rick Welts, president and chief executive of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, has just come out as gay. It was a significant and risky move in an industry that is not known for its tolerance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. (LA Laker star Kobe Bryant recently paid a $100,000 fine for calling a referee a “faggot.”) And as Megan Hueter has written here at BlogHer, women’s collegiate basketball suffers similar problems. Homophobia and transphobia in sports are not confined to the professional and collegiate levels, however.
College Basketball Star Praises Lesbian Moms
For your pre-weekend reading, ESPN.com has an interview with Morehead State University basketball star Kenneth Faried, who talks about the influence of his two moms, one of whom is battling lupus. “When they got married,” he said, “that showed me what commitment is all about, that there are people out there that can commit, even [...]
“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 100
Helen and I take an Olympian approach to our 100th vlog. After watching the Olympics non-stop for two weeks, we bring you the “Top Ten Reasons Parenting Is Like the Olympics” (and not just because it’s like sliding down an icy track at 90 miles per hour). Mombian: She Got Me Pregnant, 03-04-10 by drudolph [...]
NCAA Pulls Focus on Family Ads
Under pressure from LGBT advocates, including Pat Griffin, Change.org, and (I imagine) many of you, the NCAA has pulled the Focus on the Family (FOF) ads from its Web site. As I wrote yesterday, the ads were running at NCAA.com, a site managed in partnership with CBSsports.com. CBS came under fire for running FOF ads [...]
Tell the NCAA to Stop Running Ads for Focus on the Family
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is running banner ads for ultra-conservative group Focus on the Family. You can see them at NCAA.com. (If you don’t, just reload the page; the ads are in rotation with some others.) This is an affront to all LGBT, feminist, and allied NCAA athletes and former athletes. I was [...]
“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 99
Helen and I talk about watching the Olympics with our son, teaching him to skate, and keeping kids active during the winter in a snowy climate. Mombian: She Got Me Pregnant, 02-18-2010 by drudolph (If the embedded video above doesn’t work for you, try it at Dailymotion.) Brought to you in partnership with After Ellen.
Johnny Weir, His Mom, and Gay Guinea Pigs
What does Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir have to do with gay guinea pigs? The talented Sarah Brannen, author and illustrator of Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, the much-challenged children’s book about two male guinea pigs who marry, made a name for herself with photographs and watercolors of ice skaters long before she turned to furry rodents. [...]
A Lesbian Olympic Soundtrack
Thanks to the industrious folks at After Ellen, we now know there are four (count ‘em, four!) out lesbian athletes in this year’s Olympics, and no gay male ones. That didn’t stop Olympic organizers from having k.d. lang perform at the opening ceremonies, or prevent NBC from using Melissa Etheridge’s “This Moment” for the closing [...]
In Memoriam: Brendan Burke
Last November, I posted about Brian Burke, the gruff president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who very publicly supported his gay son Brendan, a hockey player for Miami University. Today I just learned of the sad news that Brendan was killed in a weather-related two-car accident in Indiana Friday afternoon. My deepest [...]
Hockey Dad, Gay Son
This ESPN story is apparently breaking all over the sporting news today and will surely hit the LGBT news soon. Brian Burke, president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, “a most public example of hockey machismo,” has a gay son, and accepts him. Not only that, but the son, Brendan, plays hockey for [...]
“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 83
Helen and I discuss a melodrama shot entirely at Ikea (without the staff knowing) and how motherhood may have helped Kim Clijsters win at the U.S. Open. We also give you our thoughts on the anime-crossover movie Ponyo, now out from Disney with Tina Fey, Cate Blanchett, and Lily Tomlin among those redubbing the Japanese [...]
Love (Kisses) and Basketball
Ever watch an NBA game? In many arenas, there’s a “KissCam” that puts images of couples in the audience on the overhead Jumbotron screen, so the rest of the audience can encourage them to kiss. It’s silly but harmless. Go to a WNBA Washington Mystic’s game, however, and you won’t find a KissCam, even though [...]
Candace Parker on Sports, Fame, and Motherhood
Think of this as Mombian: The Weekend Sports Edition: ESPN the Magazine’s cover story this month features WNBA superstar Candace Parker, with her hands cupping the round curve of . . . her pregnant stomach. It’s a striking picture for a magazine that rarely has females of any sort on the cover. The article asks, [...]
Sheryl Swoopes Dropped by Storm
The Seattle Storm dropped basketball legend and lesbian mom Sheryl Swoopes from their roster this week, citing the league’s salary cap. (After Ellen reports that the NBA’s cap is $58 million per team, whereas WNBA teams have to make do with $803,000 per year.) The three-time WNBA MVP and three-time Olympic gold medalist said she’s [...]
“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 40
Last week, Helen and I talked about Olympic athletes who are mothers. This week, we turn to the mothers of athletes, bringing you some of our favorite stories of supportive parents at the Beijing Games. We add an LGBT twist by revealing which character from an LGBT-themed show Michael Phelps’ mom reminded us of, and [...]
Beijing Olympics in Legos
My love of both Legos and the Olympicsis well documented. My son is also obsessed with the former and learning to love the latter. I was thrilled, therefore, to see this astounding recreation of the Beijing Olympic facilities in Legos, including the Bird’s Nest, the Water Cube, the beach volleyball court, the equestrian arena, and [...]
Mom Wins Gymnastics Silver
Oksana Chusovitina, a 33-year-old German gymnast and mother, won silver last night in the Women’s Vault, proving her presence there wasn’t just a fluke. I wrote about Chusovitina in a previous post (and Helen and I discussed in our vlog)—she kept competing past the “normal” age in order to raise money for her son’s leukemia [...]
Sterling Performances by Dara Torres
Forty-one-year-old mother Dara Torres won two silver medals last night, bringing her count to three for the Beijing Games. Her first was in the Women’s 50m Freestyle, where she missed gold by one one-hundredth of a second. The second was in the 4×100 Medley Relay, where she anchored the team and closed, but did not [...]
Because She’s a Mom
Helen and I have been watching the Olympics all night. Dara Torres just won her heat in the Women’s 50m freestyle. Before the race, she went over and spoke with one of the officials, an action that puzzled the announcers until they realized she was asking them to hold the race so Swedish competitor Therese [...]
“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 39
Dara Torres isn’t the only older mom competing in the Olympics, and this week Helen and I tell you about some more of them. Several are previous medalists and two managed to have three kids each in between Olympic appearances. In a heartbreaking story, one mother even needed to keep competing in order to raise [...]
Another Olympic Mom: Hero or Not?
I was excited yesterday to watch Melanie Roach, a U.S. weightlifter in the 53-kilo (117-pound) category, set a new American record and come in sixth in her competition. Roach is the mother of three, and returning to competition after a five-year break and a herniated disk that required surgery. One of her sons was also [...]
You Thought Torres’ Age Was Impressive?
Olympian and mother Oksana Chusovitina is 33, a far cry from Dara Torres’ 41. I’m almost more impressed by her than by Torres, however, because she’s competing in gymnastics. That’s right, gymnastics, where most athletes hover around the 16-year-old minimum and there are rumors of some sneaking in at younger ages. This is the fifth [...]
Dara Torres Is Not a Lesbian
A public-service announcement for the many of you who are finding this site today after doing a search for: “Is Dara Torres a lesbian?” Nope, she’s not. She is twice divorced from men, and now lives with David Hoffman, a reproductive endocrinologist, masters swimmer, and father of her child. Yeah, I’m disappointed, too, but hey. [...]
Dara Torres Credits Daughter for Comeback
Dara Torres, at 41 years old, just won her 10th career Olympic medal, a silver in the women’s 400m freestyle relay. She anchored her teammates Natalie Coughlin, Lacey Nymeyer, and Kara-Lynn Joyce, but went into her leg facing a time deficit she could not make up for gold. She is an amazing athlete, and news [...]
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