Naked Hero is not a book about homophobia, but the problem is there as a backdrop to Lewis's story.
And it is real.
I have an apartment in Brighton, England, where I spent part of each year. It has a high gay population and is a very tolerant city. But when the football team play away, the supporters, only a few of whom are actually gay, are bombarded with homophobic insults from the home fans, and this happens on a weekly basis. If it was racism that was being chanted then there would be a clamp down - the sport would be shamed into taking action. But homophobia seems fine - it is even encouraged by the officials who have been shown on television to be laughing at the abuse. Is it any wonder no player other than Justin Fashanu has dared to come out. On a recent TV documentary the answer was always the same when quizzed - look what happened to Justin. He committed suicide.
It is a shocking state of affairs, but a reality into which I drop my characgter, Lewis Macleod - make him famous and make him gay and then see what might turn out.
Here's a snippet from an early scene where his coach is concerned about tabloid rabble rousing...
Cliff Drysdale looked affronted as he responded, “Are you telling the Australian people that they shouldn’t support their own player, Jim?”
“Of course not, but there should be an element of fair play involved. Let’s not kid ourselves here. This has got bugger all to do with nationality. We wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation if it was anyone other than Lewis involved. There are plenty of Aussies lined up in the first round against foreign players. But there’s only one match where there’s likely to be any bother,” said Jim as he lifted up the newspaper and waved it threateningly in Cliff’s direction. “This rag here has told everyone exactly where to go for it. Now are you going to act if anything kicks off, or just sit back and enjoy it and make a disgrace of yourself?”
The question was directed towards Drysdale, but it was Frank Morris who now intervened for the first time. “Jim! You’re over-reacting to this piece of tabloid sensationalism. Lewis will be treated with the same courtesy as all the other players. We will show no favouritism, either for, or against. It’s the sort of courtesy that Lewis himself should take note off. He certainly didn’t show very much in Sydney, and must accept the consequences of his disgraceful behaviour there.”
Jim heard Frank Morris’s words, and responded to them, but his gaze never moved from Cliff Drysdale. “The boy made a mistake, and you two sound as though you want to see him crucified for it. Or is this you seizing your chance to do some cleansing – rid the sport of something you neither like nor understand. History is riddled with such shameful behaviour: Hitler in Europe; the Klan in America; and Australia’s hardly innocent with its treatment of the Aborigines. But I never thought that tennis would be tarred with the same brush.”
And it is real.
I have an apartment in Brighton, England, where I spent part of each year. It has a high gay population and is a very tolerant city. But when the football team play away, the supporters, only a few of whom are actually gay, are bombarded with homophobic insults from the home fans, and this happens on a weekly basis. If it was racism that was being chanted then there would be a clamp down - the sport would be shamed into taking action. But homophobia seems fine - it is even encouraged by the officials who have been shown on television to be laughing at the abuse. Is it any wonder no player other than Justin Fashanu has dared to come out. On a recent TV documentary the answer was always the same when quizzed - look what happened to Justin. He committed suicide.
It is a shocking state of affairs, but a reality into which I drop my characgter, Lewis Macleod - make him famous and make him gay and then see what might turn out.
Here's a snippet from an early scene where his coach is concerned about tabloid rabble rousing...
Cliff Drysdale looked affronted as he responded, “Are you telling the Australian people that they shouldn’t support their own player, Jim?”
“Of course not, but there should be an element of fair play involved. Let’s not kid ourselves here. This has got bugger all to do with nationality. We wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation if it was anyone other than Lewis involved. There are plenty of Aussies lined up in the first round against foreign players. But there’s only one match where there’s likely to be any bother,” said Jim as he lifted up the newspaper and waved it threateningly in Cliff’s direction. “This rag here has told everyone exactly where to go for it. Now are you going to act if anything kicks off, or just sit back and enjoy it and make a disgrace of yourself?”
The question was directed towards Drysdale, but it was Frank Morris who now intervened for the first time. “Jim! You’re over-reacting to this piece of tabloid sensationalism. Lewis will be treated with the same courtesy as all the other players. We will show no favouritism, either for, or against. It’s the sort of courtesy that Lewis himself should take note off. He certainly didn’t show very much in Sydney, and must accept the consequences of his disgraceful behaviour there.”
Jim heard Frank Morris’s words, and responded to them, but his gaze never moved from Cliff Drysdale. “The boy made a mistake, and you two sound as though you want to see him crucified for it. Or is this you seizing your chance to do some cleansing – rid the sport of something you neither like nor understand. History is riddled with such shameful behaviour: Hitler in Europe; the Klan in America; and Australia’s hardly innocent with its treatment of the Aborigines. But I never thought that tennis would be tarred with the same brush.”