Let's Salute Sebastian Vettel

[PeterRS]

Earlier this year Hungary passed its anti LGBTQ education bill that bans the depiction or promotion of homosexuality and gender change among under-18s. Many have lambasted the President who promoted the bill and the European Parliament has condemned it.

Surely no protest was more symbolic and seen by so many around the world than a short appearance by the 4-time Formula 1 world champion driver, Sebastian Vettel. F1 - along with its more junior ranks of F2 and F3 - directly and indirectly employs many tens of thousands of people and is one of the world's most watched sports seen in almost every country. It has never been associated with the LGBTQ movement. Even as stars in other sports have started to come out, only one has come out it this most macho of sports even though there are a few remaining in the closet - and that happened 30 years ago! Present and former F! drivers are seemingly a totally heterosexual bunch. Sebastian Vettel certainly fits that profile as a happily married straight man with kids.

But at the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix held ten days ago, Vettel singled himself out as a champion of gay rights. During the pre-race national anthem line-up, he sported a simple Pride shirt with the message "Same Love". During the race, his shoes and helmet were adorned with the rainbow colours. No other driver joined him, although to be fair that is almost certainly because he did tell them beforehand and did not want to make a fuss. He knew the TV cameras would pick up on his shoes, shirt and helmet and linger long over them. As indeed they did. And the world saw it. The race stewards were not happy, though, and he received a warning for not removing the short when asked to.

Photo: Rex/The Sun

"It doesn't matter your skin colour, it doesn't matter your background, it doesn't matter where you come from, it doesn't matter who you fall in love with. In the end, you just want equal treatment for everybody . . . 

"I was surprised it was so much of a big deal," Vettel admits.

"Ideally, there wouldn't be any reaction because it's just normal.

"There are countries still arguing about whether gay marriage should be legal or not legal. I think there's enough marriage for all of us, you know. It makes no difference to straight people whether gay people are allowed to get married or not, but it makes a huge difference to gay people to be able to get married like everyone else.

"So yeah, I was surprised - but it shows that there's still so much that needs to be done."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/58453220

[spoon]

Here i am reading the title hoping that vettel came out as gay lol  i guess i can keep dreaming.

[reader]

This is also an opportunity to celebrate Bryan Ruby who becomes the only active pro baseball player to be out as gay.

From USA Today

Bryan Ruby first started to realize he was different at 14 years old. That's when the hiding began. Along with the darkness.

He found emotional refuge in two different parts of his identity. He's a professional baseball player, a member of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, which makes him much closer to a journeyman than a major-leaguer. And he's a country music songwriter, having written two songs that reached the charts, plus countless ballads in his notebook. 

Yet it's Ruby's hidden part of his identity that he now believes can have the biggest impact, partially because it's so foreign to the worlds of baseball and country music.

Ruby is a gay man, the only active professional baseball player at any level to be publicly out. 

"I kept thinking about the little 14-year-old me, who was scared because I'm a baseball player who loved country music," Ruby, 25, told USA TODAY Sports. "Those are worlds where people like me are told they can't belong. I'm not a hot-shot prospect. But today, you can't find a single active baseball player who is out publicly. I want to help create a world where future generations of baseball players don't have to sacrifice authenticity or who they really are to play the game they love." 

His coming out follows a summer in which Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib and Nashville Predators prospect Luke Prokop also came out as gay. After years of no actively out players in men's professional sports, now there are three. 

Playing the guitar in his bedroom in recent months, with posters of Dierks Bentley and Cal Ripken Jr. hanging in the background, Ruby sang a song he's co-written that seems especially relevant given his purpose behind coming out. 

"If that white line ever gets lonely, if the nights get a little too cold, if it don't work out, if you have your doubts, you've got a place to go."

Ruby's goal is clear: to help others who are forced to hide their identity, too.

"Being closeted for basically 10 years, it was a struggle the whole time," he said. "I used to hate myself. Hate how I felt. I'd ask why am I feeling this way?"

"I kept having people tell me, 'Be very cautious of who you tell' or 'They don't need to know your personal life.' The best way to describe the hiding as an athlete is like you're running with a weighted vest on," he said. "It's on all day and you can't take it off. I've been gradually taking that weight off."

Continues with photos and video

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2021/09/02/bryan-ruby-only-active-professional-baseball-player-out-gay/8244571002/

[PeterRS]

I certainly salute Bryan Ruby. But I do think there is a difference between a gay man deciding to come out and a very straight man identifying with and bringing to world attention his support for the LGBTQ community, even though he himself is not gay. Yet both advance the LGBTQ cause since both are role models.