Shad Smith: The First Openly Gay Mixed Martial Artist

by Luke Thomas on Mar 24, 2008 4:52 PM EDT in News Comment 18 comments

A New York Times profile reveals his orientation:

But most of Smith's childhood fights took place outside the ring, on the streets and at his instigation. He used to wear his hair in a mohawk as a tribute to the professional tag-team wrestlers the Road Warriors and prowl the neighborhood looking for fights. "I was just mad-dogging everyone" -- staring them down -- "until somebody said something, and then I'd put my hands up and start fighting." He said he had 46 counts of assault and battery as a juvenile. "And that's 46 counts posted on me. Can you imagine how many there actually were?"

I asked Smith why he spent so much of his youth looking for trouble. I expected some sort of clichéd, though possibly true, explanation -- a difficult childhood or a Napoleon complex. What I didn't expect him to say was, "You know, bro, the sexual-preference thing."

Smith is gay, and I know of no other professional fighter who is openly so. "I was always scared that my mom and dad would find out and wouldn't like me, and my brothers wouldn't like me," he said. "I was petrified, because I didn't want anyone to find out. And I would try to be the toughest person around. That way, no one would suspect, no one would ever say it, no one would think it."

The amount of misogyny and homophobia among MMA's hardcore fans is appalling. Worse, "the closet", for gays and lesbians, is a terrible prison that breeds confusion, sadness and severs connectivity to others. Smith's revelation is a quiet, but significant milestone if not for the sport, then certainly for an integral minority group within our society.

Smith may be the first, but he isn't the last. They are part of the community of MMA fans, promoters, writers, and fighters. We in the straight community have an obligation to welcome them without prejudice or suspicion. It's their sport, too.

HT: Project Alpha

Update [2008-3-24 17:55:57 by Luke Thomas]:: It looks like a correction is due: Shad might be the first openly homosexual male fighter.

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Comments

Re: Shad Smith: The First Openly Gay Mixed Martial

So that's his excuse for getting in fights, but what's his excuse for the uber-lame 'TapOut' tattoo he got across his torso?

by ilostmydog on Mar 24, 2008 5:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith: The First Openly Gay Mixed Martial

Oh, he deserves extreme ridicule for that.

by Luke Thomas on Mar 24, 2008 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith: The First Openly Gay Mixed Martial

Tonya Evinger is also openly gay.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/allelbows/1436039851/

by ekc on Mar 24, 2008 5:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith: The First Openly Gay Mixed Martial

Is she fo realz or is she just goofing in this pic?

by Luke Thomas on Mar 24, 2008 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith: The First Openly Gay Mixed Martial

I can't speak for any lesbians out there, but I don't think wanting to do Gina Carano means that you're gay. And browsing through the weigh-in flexing photos doesn't make you gay either, right? Right?

It's sad that there's so much homophobia in the MMA - not the blogosphere so much, but the forum/comment-o-sphere? Especially given the rather intimate* nature of fighting. Forum-goers can make fun of people by insinuating that they're gay all they want, but if you're not comfortable with your sexuality, MMA is not the place to compete.

Nice post, Luke.

* You know what I mean right? Maybe that's not the right word. I mean it in the same sense as going to the Hair Butchery and having somebody wash your hair, or getting measured up for a suit or any of a thousand other everyday situations where you have to get inside somebody else's personal space and do it in a way that everybody stays comfortable. I can't imagine how any of the homophobes hanging out in the forum would deal with having somebody in their guard or - god forbid - north/south.

-- Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ

by jemaleddin on Mar 24, 2008 6:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith: The First Openly Gay Mixed Martial

no. its real.

she jokes around about it... but its real

by ekc on Mar 24, 2008 7:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith: The First

Who cares. I'd fight him. He aint thinking "This guy has a great looking ass" while he's getting punched in the face. By now, I bet both Luke and I have rolled with plenty of gay people and never knew it. I just hope all of those were wins for me... Lol. Just kidding.

by MoreThanUFC on Mar 24, 2008 5:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith: The First

"Who cares. I'd fight him."

I guess his 9-9-2 record didn't exactly scare you off. =-)

Keep your hands up, Shad!

-- Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ

by jemaleddin on Mar 24, 2008 6:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith: The First Openly Gay Mixed Martial

Hey..... I guess this means Frank Shamrock was pulling my leg when he said Josh Thomson was the first openly gay mixed martial artist......that jokester.....

by robnashville on Mar 24, 2008 6:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith: The First Openly Gay Mixed Martial

Actually there's Shawn Tamaribuchi as well, like Evinger, she lists her sexual preference as bi.

http://www.mmauniverse.com/fighters/SS34912

by Hywel Teague Fighters Only mag on Mar 24, 2008 7:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith: The First Openly Gay Mixed Martial

Still, kudos to Smith for coming out.

by Hywel Teague Fighters Only mag on Mar 24, 2008 7:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith

Yeah, I was not expecting a guy that did a Felony Fights video to be the first openly gay male fighter.

by newerafranchise on Mar 24, 2008 9:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith: The First Openly Gay Mixed Martial

Don't see why this matters..

by DirtyML on Mar 24, 2008 11:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith: The First Openly Gay Mixed Martial

The "first openly gay person in (insert sport here)" is always a bit of a story. I agree that in my world this isn't relevant news as sexual orientation has nothing to do with fighting...but in such a macho culture (go take a stroll around the forums) it is going to be somewhat interesting to see how people react..etc.

by Brent Brookhouse on Mar 25, 2008 12:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith: The First Openly Gay Mixed Martial

Read Luke's commentary on the quote and you'll understand why.

by Simco on Mar 25, 2008 12:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith: The First Openly Gay Mixed Martial

Speaking of which, what makes the homosexual community "integral" to society?

by Richard Wade on Mar 25, 2008 12:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Shad Smith: The First Openly Gay Mixed Martial

It's not as if society collapses without gays per se, it's that gays are brothers, sisters, mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, lawyers, policemen, MMA fighters, teachers, bus drivers, and so on and so on. They are an integral if marginalized portion of society. The idea is that gays exist in a vacuum away from "us", but the reality is they don't. They are part and parcel of our friends, family, co-workers, etc.

by Luke Thomas on Mar 25, 2008 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs