My Writing and LGBTQ issues
A brief explanation.
I didn’t intend to release a book with an LGBTQ main character just in time for Pride Month 2023. It just ended up being that way.
The Yank Striker: A Footballer’s Beginning was the culmination of a long gestating story in my head about soccer, fame, and identity. Part of that exploration of identity, it turns out, was about sexual identity.
I have had LGBTQ friends, colleagues, and students that have been part of my life. I believe they have the right to live as they want in peace. I do not consider this to be a political viewpoint. I consider this to be a human rights issue.
Soccer is a reflection of the real world. Many of the issues facing the real world crop up there. Racism is a big issue in soccer. Just to pick out one recent example, Vinicius Junior, an Afro-Brazilian and star player for Real Madrid, was racially abused in a match with Valencia by opposition fans.
The issue of homosexuality in soccer has been an extensive one. English footballer Justin Fashanu came out as gay in 1990, more than thirty years ago, at the tail end of his career. The Wikipedia page on the issue has multiple stories of footballers or managers who either came out at the tail end of their careers or after their retirement, or some that choose to leave soccer rather than deal with the issues they faced. Many women players remained out for much of their careers.
Some of these players were people I cheered on as a fan. Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe were among some of the LGBTQ players who represented and continue to represent the US Women’s National Team.
Then there was the case of Robbie Rogers, the left back and winger who came out back in 2013 when he was 26 and had left England after attempting to build his career. Thankfully, he generally found acceptance when he returned to America and won a Major League Soccer title with the LA Galaxy.
All these stories and experiences were rattling around in my head as I began to wonder what the American version of Lionel Messi might look like. I was influenced by the stories of how athletes like Jackie Robinson in Major League Baseball, Kenny Washington and Woody Strode in the NFL, and Cyrille Regis and John Barnes in English soccer battled racism. In college, I read The Dreyfus Affair by Peter Lefcourt, a novel about how a star shortstop for a Los Angeles major league team falls in love with his teammate – it’s a great book; I would definitely recommend it.
With all of this in my head, I asked myself, What would it be like if one of these male LGBTQ players ended up coming out at the beginning of their career rather than the end or after they retired? What sort of support system would they need to be able to survive and thrive in the world of top-flight soccer?
The answers to those questions eventually were folded into the story of The Yank Striker. I can tell you I consider LGBTQ people to be human beings worthy of respect, and I could tell you I was inspired by this issue in the sport I love, and I’d be correct both times. But when it comes down to it, I just thought it would make a great story I felt compelled to write. In the end, I write a story because I think it’s a worthy tale.