All-Star "males - Minimize Exaggerated Or Theatrical Movements"

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Rudags

Two Time Defending Champion, Board Comedian
Dec 14, 2009
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Cheerleading is a sport that embraces performance, or at least it used to be. The statement in the title of my thread really offends me. I may be standing lone on that - and thats okay. I feel this is a sugar-coated way to say "We don't want the guys to look gay! We want a better imagine of heterosexuality to promote to get more boys in the sport!" While I don't like things like guys flying elite stunt sequences to bow and arrows - or crazy hair flips - That doesn't mean someone can have over exaggerated facials or performance or to quite frankly - be themselves. This is an equal opportunity sport and I have seen a TON personal development from A LOT of people in the sport. I have seen homophobic heterosexual males embrace the values of change and equal opportunities for all.

Long story short - I have contacted GLAAD and ACLU to seek more advice from them and find out what their stance is on this issue is. I would appreciate ALL feedback from others so I can go into open conversation with them and maybe be introduced to ideas or arguments that I am not seeing due to my own opinions. Please share your thoughts and I will continue to update this thread and I hear back from them and let you know what these organizations thoughts and opinions are on the issue.

Am I being defensive and reading to much into this? Or is this really a discrimination issue targeted at males in our industry?
 
Cheerleading is a sport that embraces performance, or at least it used to be. The statement in the title of my thread really offends me. I may be standing lone on that - and thats okay. I feel this is a sugar-coated way to say "We don't want the guys to look gay! We want a better imagine of heterosexuality to promote to get more boys in the sport!" While I don't like things like guys flying elite stunt sequences to bow and arrows - or crazy hair flips - That doesn't mean someone can have over exaggerated facials or performance or to quite frankly - be themselves. This is an equal opportunity sport and I have seen a TON personal development from A LOT of people in the sport. I have seen homophobic heterosexual males embrace the values of change and equal opportunities for all. Good for you! :)

Long story short - I have contacted GLAAD and ACLU to seek more advice from them and find out what their stance is on this issue is. I would appreciate ALL feedback from others so I can go into open conversation with them and maybe be introduced to ideas or arguments that I am not seeing due to my own opinions. Please share your thoughts and I will continue to update this thread and I hear back from them and let you know what these organizations thoughts and opinions are on the issue.

Am I being defensive and reading to much into this? Or is this really a discrimination issue targeted at males in our industry?
 
This is a tough issue. It's very hard to tell a 4 year old boy that he can't act naturally. That may be an exaggeration, but if he acts "theatrical" now, its only going to become more prominent later on. You have to stop it while its young, and to me, that is simply wrong.
 
Cheerleading is a sport that embraces performance, or at least it used to be. The statement in the title of my thread really offends me. I may be standing lone on that - and thats okay. I feel this is a sugar-coated way to say "We don't want the guys to look gay! We want a better imagine of heterosexuality to promote to get more boys in the sport!" While I don't like things like guys flying elite stunt sequences to bow and arrows - or crazy hair flips - That doesn't mean someone can have over exaggerated facials or performance or to quite frankly - be themselves. This is an equal opportunity sport and I have seen a TON personal development from A LOT of people in the sport. I have seen homophobic heterosexual males embrace the values of change and equal opportunities for all.

Long story short - I have contacted GLAAD and ACLU to seek more advice from them and find out what their stance is on this issue is. I would appreciate ALL feedback from others so I can go into open conversation with them and maybe be introduced to ideas or arguments that I am not seeing due to my own opinions. Please share your thoughts and I will continue to update this thread and I hear back from them and let you know what these organizations thoughts and opinions are on the issue.

Am I being defensive and reading to much into this? Or is this really a discrimination issue targeted at males in our industry?

I think a strong argument will be put up to deny any discrimination/connotations of sexuality, but i am personally offended for my athletes and every theatrical male cheerleader in the world who has seen cheer as a place to embrace himself for who he is and be rewarded for it with praise, and friends he may not have otherwise had. I am proud of you for looking into this issue, and i think it is INCREDIBLY legitimate. It is just as legitimate as many other situations that have caused an uprising of human rights arguments.
 
ACLU just got back to me. I have scanned and faxed a copy of the statements dropped by the USASF and they are further looking into the issues. I hope to hear back from GLAAD later today.

I am so glad people are sharing the same opinions as me. I am actually curious to hear what someone ALL FOR this rule thinks? If your worried about being tore apart on the boards for believing different - Please PM me your response. I would love to hear an argument that is for this.
 
I believe that cheer is the perfect marriage of performance and athleticism. When you take out the performance aspect I begin to wonder why I took her out of gymnastics. And then when you aim that at a particular sex I see red. Discrimination is discrimination is discrimination and it stinks no matter how much fabreeze you spray on it.
 
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