Personal Post - But I'm a cheerleader

I forget sometimes that not everyone is like me, I know that sounds obvious but I guess what I mean to say is that not everyone is exposed to everything society has in store.  That is why college is so fun, because you see the variety of life.  Let’s go back a few years when I worked at my previous job.  I met a student who was bright, hardworking, personable, good-spirited, and outgoing.  Immediately I knew this student was bound for success, he was a great high school student undaunted by college life, not a follower, always lead his group of friends.  There was no doubt this young man was going to college and graduating with honors probably.  After getting to know one-another and talking about sports he discovered that I played softball.  

           

            Fast forward a few years, he has become somewhat of a mentee to me, I wrote his letters of recommendation for ASU, guided him through the college process, and helped him find a job with a local bank, etc; he is a constant acquaintance, and a Facebook friend (the inner most ring of trust I’m sure).  Recently he sent me a Facebook message asking if he could come out and watch my team play softball because he is interested in playing, so immediately I said yes!  We are always looking for new players to join the league.  Although he had never played baseball or softball before, he was athletically inclined. So this past weekend he came out with the girl he’s dating to watch us play and the most interesting thing happened.  Side note:  The league I play for is called Cactus Cities League; if you look it up online you’ll find that it is “the premier slow pitch softball league for the GLBTQ community.”  Well I never thought to disclaimer to my friend that it was a gay league, I guess I just assumed he knew and had no problem with it…which I thought was cool, the community could use all the allies it can get.  I have to admit, watching gay softball, although it’s not what you would imagine, you eventually get the sense that many of these burley guys are as much the players as they are the cheerleaders.  Meaning, the cheers are a little swishy and it doesn’t take long for spectators to catch on, but the cheers are hilarious and entertaining!!!  After watching our team play a doubleheader, he comes up to me and asked me with an anxious voice, “are some of the players gay?”  To which I responded without hesitation, “of course, the whole team is…and most of the league.”  I looked at him like “duh”, and he looked at me as though he just realized he was a cat in the middle of a dog park.  With a nervous voice he said “but you guys play softball?”  To which his girlfriend said laughing “But I’m a Cheerleader.”  A reference to the movie that came out in 1999 that portrayed a lesbian who didn’t know she was a lesbian because she enjoyed so much being a cheerleader.  As if cheerleaders couldn’t be lesbians or athletes couldn’t be gay.  We laughed about it, although it may have been through nervousness, I went on to explain that not all the players were gay.  Furthermore, he had nothing to fear, it was a safe place for everyone to just come out and play for the love of the sport regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.

            Suffice it to say that he was okay with it all, he just had no clue anything like this existed.  Although he admitted that he never thought gays played sports, it changed his perception for the better of what the gay community is.  He plans to play with our team come the spring and no doubt he will learn that although we may be different, essentially we are more similar.  I admire his willingness to open his mind and change preconceived notion he never even thought he had.  It did help that his girlfriend is and always has been an ally for the GLBTQ community.  This goes to show that just when we think everyone is on the same page in society this is far from the case.  The best we can do is educated and break down the stereotypes that keep us apart to show that there is nothing to fear.  I am happy that we gained one more ally on and off the field.