Openly Gay Umpire Billy Van Raaphorst Speaks About Homophobia In Sports

Billy Van Raaphorst is no stranger to being disliked being a baseball umpire but when homophobic attacks are hurled that crosses the line in good sportsmanship. As the Edmonton Journal reported this past weekend Raaphorst was invited to speak about homophobia in sports at the invitation of the NHL Oilers where he was the key note speaker on Friday at a meeting of Oilers staff.

Billy Van Raaphorst’s dream was to work as an umpire in baseball’s major leagues, not to be a one-man diversity clinic in a city, province and country he had never before visited.

But three weeks after he was the target of a homophobic tirade by then-Edmonton Capitals manager Brent Bowers during a Golden Baseball League game in Fullerton, Calif., Van Raaphorst spent Friday in a series of meetings about one single, weighty theme: being openly gay in pro sports.

“Today’s my first day speaking in front of any organization about myself, my sexuality, my family, my situation in professional baseball,” said Van Raaphorst. “I’m proud of the way the Oilers have handled things, extremely proud.

“I wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t handled it the way they have. I want to thank them for that.”

“I had this dream of getting to the big leagues and I felt that if I came out, it was all going to go bye-byes,” Van Raaphorst said. “And if that went, you’re left with isolation and I don’t do well with that.”

As a result, Van Raaphorst lived the lie many gay people live, something he now regrets.

The reality is, Van Raaphorst believes, after his sexual orientation became known when he was umpiring in the Double-A Texas League in 2001, his major-league dream took a beating.

A top-ranked umpire for the three previous seasons, his ranking dipped to No. 27. The next year, it slumped to No. 45 out of 47 umpires.

Marked down because he is gay?

“That’s my belief,” Van Raaphorst said. “I was a Double-A umpire and I was ranked very high for three consecutive years, graduated No. 1 in umpire school.

“Not only can I not (explain it) but there are a lot of people I know that can’t give a valid explanation as to the decline in my evaluation during (those) years.

“They also coincided with the fact that that’s when I had my first boyfriend, in that year, 2001, in the Texas League.”

Also read Focus On The Rainbow at OutLoudBlogs 23rd August 2010