It’s a shame how little our schools and youth athletic programs address the issues of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgendered) community in the sports arena.  As an athlete, and now as a coach, I have competed along side people of the LGBT community.  There is no doubt that parents and athletes in the LGBT community face unique challenges in their pursuit to be the best that they can be.  In my experiences, however, the subject of sexual orientation has been too taboo to talk about. None of my coaches, for example, ever opened discussion or helped to counsel my gay teammates or the rest of my team on how to cope with inappropriate comments, ignorant assumptions, etc.  While an athlete is certainly not defined by their sexual orientation, given the socially-constructed streotypes and misconceptions of the LGBT community in athletics, I do not believe that this issue is one that can be ignored.  What do you think? See my blog for comments.