Gay softball controversy

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It’s been a year of steps forward in gay rights, with the state of New York legalizing gay marriage, the Justice Department pledging not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, and the Pentagon doing the same with the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy.

Then there’s gay softball.

It’s grown by leaps and bounds in recent years but there are questions over whether a controversy surrounding the 2008 Gay Softball World Series may represent a step backwards for gay rights. The results of the series were challenged when the second place team, D2 from San Francisco, was accused of including more than the two straight men that are allowed per team.

The men were questioned in a tribunal about their sexual preference and were ruled “nongay” in what they say was an intrusive experience. The men blame the unfair treatment on racism — both are people of color.

“When the national gay softball association was first created, it was created to be an alternate universe of sports that was welcoming to gay people at a time when gay people were not welcome in mainstream sports,” explains Eli Sanders, associate editor of The Stranger and a member of a gay soccer team.

Around the time league was created, in the 1970s, straight people rarely showed interest in joining. According to Sanders, as the “cultural animosity” toward gay people softened, the league was faced with the issue of too many straight players wanting to join. They then decided on the two player cap in order to keep the league predominantly gay.

The legal outcome is still up in the air, with a federal trial scheduled for this November. But regardless of what happens, it’s a case that underscores the ambiguity of sexuality and the complications that arise in identity-based sports.

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