Isaac Humphries: A New Step for Gays in Professional Sports

Isaac Humphries (Sydney, 1998) He has just publicly declared himself gay.It shouldn’t be news, but the world of sports still counts references on the fingers of one hand, especially in the top men’s categories. openly gay during his professional career.players of melbourne united24 announced his sexual orientation through emotional videos on his social networks.

Three minutes later, he told his teammates in the locker room, Fighting taboos and falling into depression Because of the pressures related to their sexual status and the lack of references in a competitive environment.

“My goal is to let people know that no matter what you do or who you are, you can be who you want to be. You can be a great basketball player and still be gay. It has nothing to do with your sexuality, who you are, who you should be, or who you are expected to be. I discovered my purpose in this life,” he explains.

He was the first basketball player to share homosexuality while playing in the world’s major leagues, and one of the few to venture into the elite sport. Last year, soccer player josh cavalloalso Australian, generated a wave of support and revived a still cowardly debate about the social barriers to gay liberation and naturalization in professional sport.

Humphreys affair Normalizing the situation, which is more easily carried out in the field of women’s sport, is another important step. cavallo’s revelationDivision 1 soccer player Australian person (A-League), all athletes who openly admitted to homosexuality did so after retirement or in the twilight of their careers. Jason Collins In 2013, he announced that he was gay at the age of 34. Washington Wizards, He played only six games for the team, but retired the next year with the Brooklyn Nets without getting too many opportunities.

“We ask too much of our players.” Ryan Resch, vice president of strategy for the Phoenix Suns and one of the few openly gay NBA workers, said: “When external pressure is applied, When I think about the world around me, I don’t have much time to think about myself. You worry about everything at stake. I don’t think the NBA, the sports industry and all the entities surrounding it have changed this risk awareness.

In the video, Humphries explains why he’s taking a step that most people have never taken before: “As professional athletes, we have a responsibility to set an example for people.”Other leaders who have followed suit at the top level of competition are Carl Nassib, the first openly gay player in the NFL, and Luke Prokop, the first in the NHL.

The dire situation for the LGTBIQ+ community in Qatar, host of the impending 2022 Soccer World Cup, has once again highlighted the question that many people still have to be free to be themselves in the world. Statements such as Iker Casillas and Carles Puyol’s tasteless jokes on social networks have also ignited a debate about the responsibility of sport when it comes to being open minded and acting as a role model for society.