Over the weekend, I attended TCU’s glorious gridiron triumph over Oregon State. It was a beautiful, moving experience in many respects. Right at the outset, the TCU marching band’s complex, expertly performed arrangement of the Star-Spangled Banner left a lump in my throat. And the game itself was magnificent, as were the TCU Showgirls.*
But one moment in particular stuck with me. I was seated on the border between the TCU and OSU sections, and there was a lot of ribbing back and forth between the two factions – some of it good-natured, some less so. And when an OSU fan proposed to his girlfriend on the Jumbotron, a couple of the TCU contingent behind me started booing.
Almost immediately, the rest of our section let the boo birds know that their efforts weren’t appreciated. After all, love is sacred. And that made me think – what if that hadn’t been a straight couple? It was a sobering moment in an otherwise delightful evening.
As a straight man, I can walk into a stadium full of my enemies,** secure in the knowledge that my love will be celebrated and defended. I thank God for that privilege and pray that it will soon be extended to all His children.
*Yes, yes, objectification, heteropatriarchal hegemony, etc. etc. They’re still amazing.
**As anyone familiar with Southern football culture is aware, this usage is not a particularly large overstatement.
Two weeks ago, Allen and I, quite worn out from our travails on our dream home being built, attended a Jackson Prep – MRA football game, quite simply, to take our minds off of things if only for a little while. We enjoyed the game, but as we left, I felt a little saddened by the fact that we had to watch our “p’s and q’s” in the stands, surrounded by plenty of Southern Baptists and Protestants who would be quite offended had they know two gay men were watching their sons play. Little would they know that I myself had played ball since the age of 6, and Allen had been in the band since middle school. Our interests, while diverse, were solely about the game atmosphere, a place where we both felt so familiar. I was also saddened by the wonder of students at these schools and how they might feel, or be treated, if they were “out”. Maybe times have changed, but the “macho” atmosphere of athletics, in general, leaves little room for the LGBT community.
Thanks Egon, for sharing your experience this past weekend.
Who would give a law to lovers? Love is unto itself a higher law.
~Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, A.D. 524