gay4soccer
Because soccer isn't gay, but once in awhile it kinda is.
Meet Rachna, our Chivas USA writer…
02/09/12
by rkk104
in Chivas USA
Hi all! My name is Rachna and I am a Chivas USA fan living in beautiful (roughly) San Diego, CA. I say roughly as I am here for school, and home is an hour north (still not in LA territory though). My road to becoming a Chivas USA fan is a bit long, so here it goes!
I first came to watch soccer seriously during the 2008 Euro Cup. I chose to support Spain as I was a bit of a Hispanophile in high school, and latched myself onto them. I continued this support, yet felt a tad bit bad for not liking the United States, as I’ve always been one to support the USA. That same year I followed both Olympic teams in Beijing, despite the men not doing so well. This was a bit of a turning point. I loved players like Stuart Holden and Sacha Kljestan (though my love for the latter has diminished greatly in recent times), and was SO happy for the women to get their gold. I followed both national teams on and off until the Confederations Cup the following summer. The phenomenal win against Spain that no US fan will ever forget solidified my love for US Soccer. However, I was still a bit of an MLS newb, for lack of a better word. Since the Gold Cup team that year was basically a B team, I followed them closely, reacquainted myself with one Stuart Holden, and got into MLS. I spent the rest of that season watching MLS for various players but not supporting any team in particular.
Wednesday Happy Hour: DeRo Drinks Your Milkshake
02/08/12
by gay4soccer
in Happy Hour
It’s been a busy day today. Soccer hater Roland Martin was suspended by CNN, we put out a new mission statement for our allies, and right now I’m watching the debate prior to a vote on marriage equality in Washington State. Here are some other interesting stories and posts from the soccer world today:
How can soccer on Twitter be made even better than we’ve made it in the last five weeks? MLS teams having separate Twitter accounts for match day play by play. (The Free Beer Movement)
An initiative in Chicago is taking aim at curbing urban violence and keeping kids in school in their city through the power of soccer. (Huffington Post Chicago)
Finally, the Millions of Milkshakes in West Hollywood hosted MLS MVP Dwayne DeRosario recently. He created his own milkshake for their menu and slapped his ass with a Pussycat Doll. (MLSSoccer.com)
UPDATED: CNN Suspends Roland Martin for David Beckham Super Bowl Tweet
02/08/12
by gay4soccer
in Issues
(Updated 2/8)
CNN contributor Roland S. Martin has been suspended from the news network in light of his Super Bowl tweet suggesting you smack anyone at your party into the David Beckham underwear ad. From their statement:
“Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive. Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being.”
The full story can be found on The Huffington Post.
BREAKING: 2018 FIFA World Cup Host City Passes Bill Fining “Promotion of Homosexuality”
02/08/12
We already knew the selection of Russia and Qatar for the 2018 and 2012 FIFA World Cups, respectively, raised numerous civil rights questions.
But now the city of Saint Petersburg, one of the sites for Russia’s turn at hosting, has enacted a bill imposing fines of $16,700 for ”public activities promoting homosexuality (sodomy and lesbianism), bisexualism and transgender identity.”
Advocacy groups are calling the legislation a “gay gag order” and it would ban any gay pride events in the city. The fine under the current legislation is ten times what it was when it was under consideration last year.
Bravo, FIFA. Bravo, Sepp.
(H/T @sixpackage on Twitter)
Allies, Defined.
02/08/12
by gay4soccer
in Issues
We started the Allies List four weeks ago today, and what was originally thought would be a small corner of this website has grown and flourished beyond all expectations.
Originally intended for individuals, we are immensely proud that eight Supporters Groups representing seven MLS teams have signed on in addition to 20 current players, six alumni, 46 media entries, seven team staff, and one soccer-loving politician.
Canada’s New Kit
02/08/12
This is Canada’s newest jersey, which will replace the current kit. It was revealed at a press event last week. Let’s just say that the verdicts, as is the case with most jersey reveals, are rather mixed.
Some are saying bad buzz creates more jersey sales. What do you say to that? And what are your thoughts on this kit? Is it as simple as it looks? Or is it just a cheap ripoff of a high school team’s kit? Leave a comment below!
A Humble Request
02/07/12
by gay4soccer
in Uncategorized
gay4soccer is on the list of nominees for a Social Media Award given by the newspaper where Chris and Jon live this year. If you like what we’ve been up to in our short time here on the internet, we’d be much obliged if you’d leave us a comment on their site this week.
Tuesday Happy Hour: The Soccer Twitterverse Reacts to Prop 8 Being Overturned
02/07/12
by gay4soccer
in Happy Hour
We don’t like to get overtly political here about non-soccer issues, but we can’t help but be happy about the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals declaring California’s Proposition 8 as unconstitutional today. It’s not the final hurdle as an appeal to the Supreme Court is expected, but it’s good to see another step toward marriage equality returning to the Golden State.
Here are some reactions we’ve seen from members of the soccer family across Twitter this afternoon. Enjoy them as you toast the good news.
Bigotry disguised as politics is still bigotry. RT @newtgingrich: CoA overturning CA’s Prop 8 another example of an out of control judiciary
— The Ginge (@GingeFC) February 7, 2012
The Cosmetic Battles
My favorite television show is The West Wing. And one of my favorite exchanges in the entire series went something like this:
Leo McGarry (to Admiral Percy Fitzwallace, who is black): Hey Fitz…
Fitzwallace: Yeah.
McGarry: The President’s personal aide, they’re looking at a kid. You have any problem with a young black man waiting on the President?
Fitzwallace: I’m an old black man and I wait on the President.
McGarry: The kid’s gotta carry his bags…
Fitzwallace: Are you gonna pay him a decent wage?
McGarry: Yeah.
Fitzwallace: Gonna treat him with respect in the workplace?
McGarry: Yeah.
Fitzwallace: Then why the hell should I care?
McGarry: That’s what I thought.
Fitzwallace: I got some real, honest-to-God battles to fight, Leo. I don’t have time for the cosmetic ones.
That’s how I felt when I heard about this Roland Martin kerfuffle. Is the guy a dipshit? Of course. Is it worth the anger and agitation that some are trying to stir up? No.
Last week I read the New Yorker piece about the last days of Tyler Clementi. Clementi, you’ll recall, was the Rutgers freshman who killed himself after being spied on by his roommate while he was with another guy. The New Yorker article 
outlined the on-again, off-again homophobia of Clementi’s roommate Dharun Ravi and the steps that Ravi took to show off his intolerance of Clementi’s lifestyle. This included tweets that invited followers to spy on Clementi when Ravi knew a sexual rendezvous was going to occur.
It’s a painful read. You know the ending and you want to stop, you beg yourself to stop, but you can’t. It’s like watching a car wreck, only instead of steel and fiberglass, it’s souls and lives. You can’t change the ending, you can only witness it and hope never to see it again.
Harder still to read were the letters written by Tyler’s older brother James. James, who is also gay, compiled a series of notes to his departed kid brother, offering apologies for not being the confident and self-assured older brother Tyler needed. He apologizes for missing Tyler’s violin concerts in their youth. He apologizes for how the only context in which people know Tyler now is through his death. And he apologizes that nobody will get to know the proud and intelligent person Tyler would have been.
There isn’t enough time to give a damn about the Roland Martins of the world, not when there are James Clementis left behind by those who couldn’t hang on.
We don’t have time for the cosmetic battles. There are real, honest-to-God battles still left to win.
Meet Justin, Our New FC Dallas Writer…
The World Cup is arguably, if not factually, the world’s largest sporting event. With the amount of media coverage that it draws, even in the historically soccer-hostile environment that is the United States, they are bound to reach a few people who have never been exposed to it before. Such was the case in 2010.
I had never watched a professional soccer match before the 2010 World Cup, but thanks in part to Twitter’s participation in the proceedings I gave it a shot. Whether by mere coincidence or because fate demanded it, I happened to be a witness to one of the greatest moments in modern US soccer history. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. This one.
When it was all over, I had found my new passion. I’d always been a fan of sports–baseball especially– but the excitement and goosebumps I get when I see that goal replayed even to this day are feelings that have only been replicated a few times in any other sport.
Naturally I soon discovered the MLS and FC Dallas, and they have been my primary club ever since. Some people laugh and scoff when I tell them that the Hoops are my preferred clubs amongst my list of sides who I support, but they are my home club, and always will be. I was lucky enough to have discovered them in the midst of their run to the MLS Cup Final, only to have experienced the absolute heartbreak and despair that only a terribly unlucky bounce in extra time could produce. I had never experienced a disappointment like that before 2010. Nowadays I know that while it hurts to lose, the day after that terrible loss is just the first day of looking forward to the next match.
I had also never been a member of a supporter’s group before 2010, but now I’m looking forward to renewing my Inferno membership for the new year.
I may be new to the beautiful game, but it has come to dominate my sports consciousness, and I’m excited to be able to write about it for gay4soccer.
