I do not take issue with boys flying.
However, I do have a question/concern about males flying as it relates to college cheer.
We all know that the main roles of males in college cheer = basing and tumbling, largely.
Also many coed collegiate cheer coaches are die-hard traditionalists in this area.
Is mostly flyer boy going to be able to make a coed college squad when he has little coed stunting experience?
Is he going the small coed route?
I know university of Wisconsin has a male flyer, or at least had one. But most college male flyers only do baskets and occasionally pyramid.
I have heard at NCA a male flying stunts would negatively effect your collegiate image score (Remember when the USASF tried to make a rule about "Flamboyant" motions being done by men and got shut down? The rule is still very much real at NCA) - and I believe UCA has something similar where you're supposed to look like an "all-American" man/woman.
Plus, I'm sure school administrators play a part in boys being ground bound, since the team represents the school and generally overtly flamboyant behavior is not well received by the administrators.
I got in trouble my freshman year when an administrator saw me playing with a friends poms after the game was over and contacted my coach. I also got in trouble for wearing foundation when I cheered games (Im a MAC makeup artist and have cystic acne, I didn't want people to be able to see something I am very self conscious about so I covered it), again when an administrator contacted my coach.
I can only imagine what they'd say if a boy went up and did a High Split in front of the crowd.
Again, I could write a doctoral presentation on the implications of that and the implied instruction to enforce heteronormativity which is presented in just the right way to avoid a discrimination lawsuit. And, for that matter, how that would never fly in an NCAA sport because of it's anti-discrimination policies but because we aren't athletes we're cheerleaders/school representatives its totally okay, but thats probably for a thread all it's own lol
Edit: I do not blame my coaches at Lindenwood at all, nor do I think the situation would have been handled any differently at another university. Clearly I was very happy at my school since I am a walking billboard for it ;)