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Post by bluedevil4 on Oct 8, 2017 19:28:09 GMT -6
Hey everyone,
I have been out of coaching high school ball for a couple years now because of grad school, but I want to get back into it after I graduate. I know this is a touchy subject, but it's something I really want to discuss, because it is personal to me, and I think it is important to talk about. Since I left coaching, I have come out of the closet as bisexual. I also do a lot of volunteer work for the LGBTQ+ community in my area, and am a big advocate for including the younger community in athletics. If I do get back into coaching, I do not intend to lie about my identity, but I'm not going to centralize or highlight it either, because it is not relevant to my coaching duties or abilities.
I wanted to see a discussion here on where the world of K-12 football coaching is on having LGBTQ+ coaches and players. Where are we in the coaching world? What factors stand out more in different areas and age groups? Do you have any co-coaches or players that are part of the community (or are you yourself)? What has your experience been? What needs to be done still to make the game more inclusive? What decisions/actions would, your school, or your program make in matters that involve LGBTQ+ players and coaches?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2017 20:00:00 GMT -6
Personally, I don't care about anyone's sexual preference as long as they aren't looking for dates in the locker room or bringing it up in inappropriate ways. I don't think anyone else should, either.
I've never worked with any coaches who were openly anything but straight. I've never had any players be any other way, either, though I'm sure I've coached and had teammates who weren't. I live in a very conservative area. If you were open about being anything other than straight here, you'd never get hired as a coach and parents would flip out if they knew. That's just how it is here. I suspect it would be different in Northern California.
However, I have worked with openly gay teachers and band directors and no one cared. Oddly enough, it's not unheard of for female coaches to be lesbian or bi, though no one really makes e a big deal about it. It speaks to the double standard people have on these things, I guess, or maybe I'm just wrong.
I've come to suspect that when people who don't know football are judging coaches and looking at hiring them, they often don't care who knows football the best or who is the most qualified. It seems like many people (parents and administrators especially) have this image of the coach as a stereotypical "alpha male" (whatever that means) who will teach the boys on his team how to also be alpha males like him. Being gay or bi would be an unspoken disqualified in their eyes, unfortunately, among a long list of other petty disqualifications.
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Post by Down 'n Out on Oct 8, 2017 20:04:41 GMT -6
To my knowledge we do not have anyone in the LGBTQ community. Our team motto is family; no matter the situation were family and as long as you're helping us get to where we want to be we accept, support, and love you.
Idk how it would work out with us but I think it would be positive. I also think our policy would unofficially don't ask, don't tell, don't care. You said it yourself, it's not relevant to the sport, it's a nonissue to me
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Post by 3rdandlong on Oct 8, 2017 22:09:55 GMT -6
I don't care how you score off the field as long as you score on it.
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Post by Stangs13065 on Oct 9, 2017 0:10:06 GMT -6
People think Mike Leach is a kooky dude, but there's a method to his madness. The reason he talks about pirates, so much is this: In England at the time, there were a lot of castes and class conflict, but if you were a pirate none of that mattered. Didn't matter if you were black or white, gay or straight, rich or poor. You had one goal: To find the treasure. Now, I'm not naive. Obviously, things aren't perfect in this area. However, the game of football is the same in my eyes. At the end of the day, none of that outside stuff matters. It's about a group of people working together to strive for something bigger than themselves. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think most members of a football team (players and coaches) would feel the same way.
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Post by rsmith627 on Oct 9, 2017 3:53:43 GMT -6
Where I am at is that I don't care about LGBTQ because who you are attracted to has literally zero impact on my life and my own daily outcome. You are a guy who is into other guys? Don't care. You want to get married and suffer with the rest of us? I'm all for it. Again, it has no impact on me.
Frankly, I'm sick of hearing about it, and not from the LGBTQ community. I'm sick of hear about it from those that are offended by people who literally have no impact on their lives.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2017 4:19:10 GMT -6
Zero bearing on someones ability to coach, as long as they arent dealing with so many personal issues that it affects them being able to do their job
And it can, for some
As long as someones not attracted to kids, we had to deal with that a year ago.
If its causing someone issues with doing their job then maybe it becomes an issue, but i could care less, and would back my staff 100% dispite their preference.
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Post by brophy on Oct 9, 2017 6:58:23 GMT -6
What needs to be done still to make the game more inclusive? What decisions/actions would, your school, or your program make in matters that involve LGBTQ+ players and coaches? who says that has to be done for anyone? At what point in civilization did every person need a personal invitation and guarantee of zero negative experiences to exist? We're serving oatmeal for breakfastWe're serving oatmeal for breakfastif you don't want oatmeal, don't eat. That said, I think you could make the argument for FCA using your text here, just changing LGTGJLKS with "Christian". |
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Post by wildcatslbcoach24 on Oct 9, 2017 10:53:48 GMT -6
Depends on the area you're in and politics around you. Bigger cities will generally be more accepting and rural areas have the stereotype of being less so, what it comes down to is the culture your HC puts together. If they're open to you coaching, then the family motto works and they accept you without conditions as y'all are working together for one goal, to win! (IMO should be this way for all things: race, religion, creed, orientation, etc., funny how conservative / libertarian ideals are considered liberal now)
Anyone brings up the ole Pedophilia excuse to exclude LGBT men from coaching you can always counter with the "funny how no one seems to blink at the 22 yr old straight guy coach of an all girls Catholic / Christian school team... It comes down to this I would never harm a child and sexual orientation does not determine if one will be a pedophile or not," Good luck, while strides have been made, Football can still be a deep rooted bastion of homophobia along with deep seeded racial bias, etc.
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Post by dytmook on Oct 9, 2017 11:23:33 GMT -6
I don't care. Be a good coach and a good person and I could care less who you do outside of school.
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Post by bigmoot on Oct 9, 2017 11:28:51 GMT -6
Wouldn't go over very well in my area...many upset parents would make BOE and principals life crazy...
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Post by throwahitch on Oct 15, 2017 15:55:37 GMT -6
Hey everyone, I have been out of coaching high school ball for a couple years now because of grad school, but I want to get back into it after I graduate. I know this is a touchy subject, but it's something I really want to discuss, because it is personal to me, and I think it is important to talk about. Since I left coaching, I have come out of the closet as bisexual. I also do a lot of volunteer work for the LGBTQ+ community in my area, and am a big advocate for including the younger community in athletics. If I do get back into coaching, I do not intend to lie about my identity, but I'm not going to centralize or highlight it either, because it is not relevant to my coaching duties or abilities. I wanted to see a discussion here on where the world of K-12 football coaching is on having LGBTQ+ coaches and players. Where are we in the coaching world? What factors stand out more in different areas and age groups? Do you have any co-coaches or players that are part of the community (or are you yourself)? What has your experience been? What needs to be done still to make the game more inclusive? What decisions/actions would, your school, or your program make in matters that involve LGBTQ+ players and coaches? Your best bet, is not to lie. Its not to bring it up. Let me elaborate. I do not talk about my sexual endeavors to anyone in the football world that I am in. Its not discussed, and neither are the relationships I am in. Anyone of any orientation talking about their relationships get on my nerves. Coach, and take care of your business. Granted, if you get caught out in public with a man, youre going to get in hot water with the fundamental Christians. |
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Post by newhope on Oct 17, 2017 8:17:15 GMT -6
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