25 years is a long time to go hiding your identity in fear of being
discriminated. Anybody in sports has a reputation to uphold, no matter what
sport. Especially if you try to make a career out of it. Everyone is watching
you and looks up to you to be a role model. Pressure to perfect in the sport
and as a person. When you do not fit a social norm its hard to be true to
yourself. Secrets have a way of ruining you. They can destroy a person’s
identity and Robbie Rogers’s case, it made him feel as though he could not be
himself and still do what he loved. He was caught between two identities, being
a soccer player and being gay. After 25 years of not being true to himself, he
decided to retire from soccer and come out with the announcement of being gay
on a blog. He stated that there was a sense of freedom in it. He final knew
what it was like to be openly true about him self. He got lots of support from
fans, players, and other retired sports players that also came out with their
true identity. So many people go through this every day struggle of fighting
for the right to truly be their self. While it is slowly becoming more socially
accepted to be a gay or lesbian, there are still some boundaries people are not
willing to allow this kind of sexuality to be. Therefore people such as Rogers
tuck this secret deep down in a hidden place within themselves in order to be
able to fulfill the second part of their identity. Rogers gave a speech a at a
Gay Rights rally where he realized that he was still a role model for these
young people and he should not have to give up the other half of himself that
he loved, what kind of role model would he be for these young adults? He
returns to play for the LA Galaxy and becomes the first North American
professional sports player to be gay and still actively play the game at the
same time. Being gay should not make anyone feel inferior, just like being of a
different race should not make one feel inferior. American is a melting pot
full of all people from different backgrounds, which is something that makes
this country so great. Robbie Rogers exemplifies his right to stand up for what
he believes in and to be true to himself even though the deteriorating comments
he received after making his announcement. Without being true to ones self you
get lost in the crowd and might wake up 50 years later and wonder what happened
to you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Rogers
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/sports/soccer/robbie-rogers-a-us-soccer-player-reveals-he-is-gay.html?_r=0
I thought you did an awesome job with this biography. You described events in Robbie's life and I thought you used a great amount of detail to show his struggle. It made me so happy to read that after he came out, people still supported him and he was their role model. I was originally going to pick this topic, because I feel that everyone should feel safe, and have the opportunity to be themselves. I thought your tone of writing was perfect, and your picture you chose went great with this writing. Great Job.
ReplyDeleteI really like this topic and I like the person that you chose to help tell this social issue. I liked the image that you chose because it represents just a normal guy equating that being gay is normal. I think homosexuality is a very hot topic that many people have either a love or hate relationship with this concept. I think it is important to note what homosexual people face with hiding their identities to prevent a life time of judging them for their way of life. I think this is a great topic and I think that your character will be a great way to tell our story in the last project.
ReplyDeleteGay rights is one of the biggest issues around to date and people in the community are still fighting for equal rights across the nation. It’s good that you used Robbie Rogers to be the person of interest. There have been a few more professional athletes to come out recently and be a face and role model for other athletes that are worried about how they will be treated if they come out. Overall, i really enjoyed reading bout your person and his struggle with trying to live two lives, but eventually being able to live both at the saem time.
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