AMERICAN

Gays are in American football

Few American football players have come out as gay. There has never been an active player who was publicly out in the National Football League (NFL) or at the Division I level of college football. Six former NFL players have come out publicly after they retired.

Division II college football player Brian Sims came out to his team in 2000 while playing for Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, and publicly told his story in 2009.Alan Gendreau was open to his Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team from 2008 through 2011, but they made no mention of it to the media.Otherwise, he could have been the first publicly out gay active player in Division I college football. Outsports, a Web site specializing in gays and sports, released his story about being a gay football player on April 23, 2013.
After he retired, NFL player David Kopay in 1975 was the first major professional team-sport athlete to come out. Many experts believe that the first openly gay active NFL player will not be a current athlete who comes out, but instead an already out high school or college player who ends up in the NFL.CBSSports.com reported in April 2013 that one NFL team had a player that was not openly gay, but his teammates were aware of his sexual orientation and did not care. That same month, Ayanbadejo said there were up to four NFL players who were considering coming out on the same day with the hope that any backlash would be shared and the pressure on one person reduced.NFL commissioner Roger Goodell emphasized that sexual discrimination was unacceptable in the NFL. His statement came after players said they were asked during the NFL Scouting Combine if they liked girl

David Kopay

David Marquette Kopay (born June 28, 1942) is a former American football running back in the National Football League who in 1975 became one of the first professional athletes to come out as gay.
Kopay attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California. He entered the University of Washington in 1961 and became an All-American running back in his senior year. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers. He played professional football from 1964 to 1972. After he retired from the NFL, he was considered a top contender for coaching positions, but he believes he was snubbed by professional and college teams because of his sexual orientation. He went to work as a salesman/purchaser in his uncle's floorcovering business in Hollywood. He is also a board member of the Gay and Lesbian Athletics Foundation.
His 1977 biography, The David Kopay Story, written with Perry Deane Young, became a best-seller. In 1986, Kopay revealed his brief affair with Jerry Smith (1943–1986), who played for the Washington Redskins from 1965–1977 and who died of AIDS without ever having publicly come out of the closet.
Since Kopay, only four additional former NFL Players have come out as gay, Roy Simmons in 1992, Esera Tuaolo in 2002 , Wade Davis in 2012 and Kwame Harris in 2013. Kopay has been credited with inspiring these athletes to be more open about their sexual orientation.
Kopay appears as himself in a small but pivotal role in the film Tru Loved (2008). His scene features young actor Matthew Thompson and Alexandra Paul.
Kopay became a Gay Games Ambassador for the Federation of Gay Games. He came to Gay Games VII in Chicago in July 2006 and was a featured announcer in the opening ceremonies.
Kopay announced in September 2007 that he will be leaving $1 million as an endowment to the University of Washington Q Center.

Same-sex marriage in the United States

Same-sex marriage is legally recognized in some jurisdictions within the United States and by the federal government.As of November 2013, fourteen states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington), the District of Columbia, eight counties in New Mexico, and eight Native American tribal jurisdictions covering 34% of the US population – issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples. On November 13, 2013, Gov. Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii signed same-sex marriage legislation that will become effective on December 2, 2013. The governor of Illinois is scheduled to sign a same-sex marriage bill into law on November 20, 2013, where it is expected to take effect in June 2014. Oregon recognizes same-sex marriages performed in other states, and the issue is being litigated in a New Mexico Supreme Court case, where officials are seeking a ruling of statewide applicability.
While many jurisdictions have legalized same-sex civil marriage through court rulings, legislative action, and popular vote, six states prohibit same-sex civil marriage by statute and 29 prohibit it in their constitutions.The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), enacted in 1996, allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed under the laws of other states. Section 3 of DOMA prevented the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages until that provision was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 26, 2013, in United States v. Windsor.
The movement to obtain marriage rights and benefits for same-sex couples in the United States began in the 1970s, but became more prominent in U.S. politics in 1993 when the Hawaii Supreme Court declared the state's prohibition to be unconstitutional in Baehr v. Lewin. During the 21st century, public support for same-sex civil marriage has grown considerably^, and national polls conducted since 2011 show that its legalization is supported by a majority of Americans. On May 9, 2012, Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. President to publicly declare support for the legalization of same-sex civil marriage.On November 6, 2012, Maine, Maryland, and Washington became the first states to legalize same-sex civil marriage through popular vote.