Date: Thu, 18 May 1995 13:26:35 -0400
From: Gabo3@aol.com

New York Newsday - Thursday, May 18, 1995
LESBIANS IN GOLF'S LOCKER-ROOM CLOSET
by Gabriel Rotello
	It has sometimes been said - a bit stereotypically - that sports are to
lesbians what theater is to gay men. But while gay men's contributions to
theater, both as professionals and fans, are now widely recognized and even
celebrated, the lesbian contribution to women's sports is still routinely
dismissed.
	Take the reaction surrounding last week's reported remarks by CBS golf
commentator Ben Wright that lesbians were giving women's professional golf a
bad name. Wright was quoted in a Delaware newspaper as saying, bluntly,
"lesbians in the sport hurt women's golf." He eventually denied making the
statements, CBS Sports stood by his denial, and the Delaware paper stood by
its story. But in the crossfire it seemed that nobody was prepared to stand
by lesbians in professional golf. 
	The best defense that golf executives could muster was a vague denial that
lesbians exist in the sport. "I have never seen any evidence of lesbian
activity, overtly or otherwise," said former general chairman of the LPGA,
Burch Riber. And current LPGA Commissioner Charles Mechem concurred, saying,
"I do not believe that lesbianism is a significant issue for the LPGA." 
	Not significant? Really? Many observers contend that lesbians are
represented in women's golf, both as fans and players, out of all proportion
to their percentage in the overall population. The annual Dinah Shore
tournament in Rancho Mirage, Calif, is such a popular lesbian vacation
destination it's been called the lesbian Woodstock. Not that a majority of
women golfers, or fans, are gay. But "not significant"? 
	A better answer would have been, "Sure, there are plenty of lesbian golf
pros, and tons of lesbian fans, and they make a significant contribution to
the sport. So what?" 
	Sadly, that reaction seems unlikely for several reasons. One is a widespread
fear that corporate sponsors would shun any sport that acknowledged a
significant lesbian presence. Another is a longtime presumption that
successful female athletes are almost certainly homosexual, which has
produced an automatic denial reflex among women athletes that remains hard to
overcome even though the "taint" of homosexuality has diminished considerably
over the years. Still another is the belief that if a golf pro dared to
acknowledge being gay, she would automatically lose her endorsement
opportunities, and possibly even her place on the LPGA tour. 
	But perhaps the biggest reason for the silence is the fact that not a single
female golf pro has ever come out of the closet to test these hideous
presumptions. Such reticence is easy to understand, since the nasty
sentiments attributed to Wright are depressingly common throughout the sport.
But you can't combat such attitudes from within the closet. You have to come
out to fight like a, well, like a lesbian. 
	People sometimes point to the rough treatment accorded tennis great Martina
Navratilova in the 1980s to explain why lesbian golfers still remain in the
locker room closet today. But now that lesbianism is allegedly "chic," openly
lesbian golf pros might survive and even thrive. And if they were penalized,
the sport's legions of lesbian fans would be in an unusually strong position
to retaliate. They could use their consumer clout to boycott companies -
mostly manufacturers of women's golf equipment - that dared to drop lesbians
from endorsement deals. And they could easily turn their backs on tournaments
that dropped lesbian players. 
	It is pathetic that, in 1995, gay women are still outsiders in a sport to
which so many have given so much. It is long past time that owners and sports
writers - and straight women golfers - dropped the dismissive line that
lesbians are "insignificant," and instead made openly gay women openly
welcome to professional golf. But the events of this past week have
demonstrated that it's also long past time for lesbian golfers themselves to
claim their turf and come out swinging. And for lesbian fans to close ranks
around those who do. 

(Gabriel Rotello's column appears in New York Newsday every Thursday. His
email address is gabo3@aol.com)