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| Olympic Equestrians
Pearson is not only an inspiration to disabled athletes but also a proud member of the glbtq community. He came out to his parents on the eve of his twenty-first birthday, for which they "wanted to lay on a major, major . . . party." He had previously pretended to have a romantic interest in women but decided that the time for honesty had come, asking himself, "What's the point in people celebrating my coming of age when they don't know who I really am?" The revelation, he stated, "was difficult for my mum and dad because they had the normal expectations of marriage and grandchildren so there was a period of adjustment." Pearson was gratified by their eventual response, however. "I'm quite glad that I came out before I moved out and had my independence," he said, "because then you know you've really been accepted." Pearson owns a yard with six stables in Cheddleton, where he has established a very successful breeding business. The athlete who cannot move without full-leg splints and crutches or the use of a motorized wheelchair also trains able-bodied equestrians in the art and sport of dressage. Conclusion With a generally welcoming attitude toward glbtq participants, equestrianism is the exception in sports culture, which is all too often homophobic. Robert Dover expressed the hope that athletes in other sports will someday feel free to identify themselves publicly as gay—and he knows that there are many who could. "I wish that all gay athletes would come out in all disciplines—football, baseball, the Olympics, whatever," he said. "After six Olympics, I know they're in every sport. You just have to spend one day in the housing, the gyms, or at dinner to realize we're all over."
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arts >> Overview: Sports: Gay Male arts >> Cranston, Toller arts >> Curry, John arts >> Etheridge, Melissa arts >> Louganis, Greg arts >> Mitcham, Matthew arts >> Orser, Brian arts >> Tewksbury, Mark arts >> Waddell, Tom
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