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Major League Soccer Launches ‘Don’t Cross the Line’ Anti-Discrimination Campaign
09/17/12
Major League Soccer’s All Stars came together to star in a new video called “Don’t Cross the Line” to combat discrimination and harassment.
Landon Donovan, Kyle Beckerman, Dwayne De Rosario, Chris Pontius, Carlos Valdes, Graham Zusi all feature in the video aimed at combating homophobia, racism, and sexism.
Lori Lindsey Comes Out Publicly in Interview
09/05/12
The interview is here on Autostraddle.com.
Some highlights:
- She jokes that she threatened to pull a “Tonya Harding” on Megan Rapinoe for coming out first, even though she pushed Megan to come out.
- Lori is recently single, and picky.
- Her parents divorced early in her life, and she only remembers her mom ever being with a woman as her wife.
Thank you Lori. We’re all happy to have you as fans and proud to have you as part of the family.
Zach Woosley also did an excellent piece on the SB Nation blog Stars and Stripes FC on Lori’s public coming out.
Wins and losses are great, trophies are even better, but to have our women’s national team playing a leading role in putting more faces on the LGBT movement is something I’m extremely proud of. It may not seem like much, but when openly gay athletes are received in a positive way by soccer fans, it shows all those who are still struggling with a very personal decision that when they are ready, the support will be there for them.
Pia Sundhage Stepping Down to Return to Sweden
09/01/12
2 Olympic gold medals
World Cup Final
3 Algarve Cups
88-6-10 record
5 great years.
THANK YOU COACH PIA SUNDHAGE!
gay4CCL: Los Angeles blanks Puerto Rico, 4-0
08/30/12
The kids… they are definitely alright.
Los Angeles Galaxy followed up last week’s CONCACAF Champion’s League 5-2 win over Isidro Matapan with another dominating performance on Wednesday night – this time, over the visiting Puerto Rico Islanders. The reigning MLS Champion’s 4-0 victory on Wednesday night is all the more impressive considering it was accomplished with the team’s reserves.
On a night that saw Robbie Keane serving a red card suspension, David Beckham recovering from illness and Landon Donovan from injury,and with the team schedule to play an important match this weekend versus Vancouver, Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena opted to start his B squad.
An Athlete’s Life in the Closet: One Tar Heel’s Tale
08/21/12
What follows is the personal testimonial of Stephen Bickford, who was 2004 NSCAA/Adidas National High School Player of the Year, United States U-18 player, and University of North Carolina Forward, all while living the life of a young man in the closet. — Chris
In high school, I was fortunate enough to have been a part of one of the greatest youth teams in the country at the time, the ’86 CASL Elite. As a team we won the NCYSA State Championship every single year from U-14 through U-19 and were a force to be reckoned with on the national stage, winning multiple showcase tournaments all over the country.
From my first touch of a ball at 6 years old, I had a rare gift for an American soccer player. I scored goals…lots of goals. Any time I got the ball in the attacking third of the field I was confident that I was going to put the ball in the back of my opponents net, and I did, hundreds and hundreds of times. Scoring goals was my job, and it was also my favorite thing to do on this earth. Fortunately for me, the team I had playing behind me made my job a whole lot easier than it could have been, and I have to give them credit for getting me the ball as much as they did. One would think that my life couldn’t have been happier: playing for a fantastic team, winning trophies and scoring goals at will. What could I possibly be unhappy about? Well, I knew I was gay.
Megan Rapinoe: Coming Out Has Improved My Game
08/10/12
Megan Rapinoe spoke to Yahoo! Sports in London.
“I guess it seems like a weight off my shoulders,” Rapinoe said on the eve of Thursday’s gold medal match against Japan, “because I’ve been playing a lot better than I’ve ever played before. I think I’m just enjoying myself and I’m happy.”
The video auto-plays, so it’s after the jump.
VICTORY USA
08/09/12
Megan Rapinoe celebrates during the USA's semifinal vs. Canada.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE US WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM!
Soccer Allies Lead MLS All Stars to Victory Over Chelsea FC
07/26/12
A trio of goals from players who are all soccer allies led the Major League Soccer All Stars to victory over Chelsea FC in Chester, PA last night.
With background accompaniment of a raucous River End, the game started off with a good deal of pressure from Chelsea, with the All Stars making a few good runs that just didn’t end well. Ally Chris Wondolowski, however, was able to convert a so-so pass into the first goal of the night in the 21st minute of the match. Minutes later a midfield collision between Aurélien Collin and Michael Essien led to medical attention for Collin, a brief return to the game, then his eventual substitution with hometown captain and ally Carlos Valdes.
Before that could happen though, Chelsea captain John Terry evened the scoring with a header assisted by Frank Lampard. The half rounded out with a very nice shot from Tierry Henry after service from David Beckham and Landon Donovan in the 42nd minute, some of the biggest players on the field working very well together.
Jay DeMerit, Jordan Harvey, and Michael Boxall in the NOH8 Campaign
07/25/12
In early May, the NOH8 Campaign made a swing through Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. At their Vancouver stop, Whitecaps defenders and allies Jay DeMerit, Jordan Harvey, and Michael Boxall (now with the Wellington Phoenix) all participated.
The NOH8 Campaign began as a silent protest to Proposition 8 in California, but has continued on since then to stand up for not only marriage, but all human equality.
It’s a great testament to the dedication of these players to the cause of equality that they took the time out of their schedules to be a part of the Vancouver event.
The Philadelphia Union is the First MLS Team to Be a Soccer Ally with gay4soccer
07/24/12
No more teasing.
We are very happy to announce that the Philadelphia Union have taken the step of becoming a Soccer Ally with us here at gay4soccer, the first team in Major League Soccer to do so.
They are boldly agreeing to a pledge similar to the charter every English Premier League team signed last winter, to combat homophobia and transphobia, and make soccer a more inclusive place for the LGBT community:
- We agree that everyone should be able to participate in, watch and enjoy sports — whoever they are and whatever their background.
- We agree that sports are about fairness and equality, respect and dignity. Sports teach individuals how to strive and succeed, how to cope with success and disappointment, and bring people together to achieve a common goal.
- We are committed to making these values a reality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. We will work together, and individually, to rid the game of soccer of homophobia and transphobia.
- We will make soccer a welcome, inviting, and inclusive place for everyone — for those participating in the sport, those attending matches and for those working or volunteering in it — while making adeliberate effort to reach out to GLBT people. We will work with all these groups to ensure they have a voice, and to challenge unacceptable behavior, including working to eliminate homophobic language from the game.
It was such a pleasure to announce this to the crowd at Tabu last night as part of this special week for soccer in Philadelphia. We look forward to working with the staff and team at the Union to putting this pledge into action and working with other teams to sign on to the pledge as well.
