We’ve been talking for a while about how the long-known institution of homophobia in sports is finally being broken down. This is because of efforts from athletes who get involved in LGBT activism, sports teams who make It Gets Better videos, and other individuals who have some ties to an LGBT cause and are inspired to make a difference.

In order for things to really get better for LGBT athletes, other people in the sports world - like coaches and administrators, for example - have to open their minds to the change as well. In a recent meeting at UNC, sports officials agreed that it could be done, but perhaps not in a timely way. Some interesting details:

And in two recent pieces of research, Anderson found that 70 percent of athletes at three Southern institutions would support having a gay teammate, while in England, 97.5 percent of 271 incoming freshman athletes said they would have no problem with a gay teammate or coach.

“In 20 years, I don’t think this will be an issue in any capacity, even for football players,” Anderson said, noting that homophobia is worse in some sports than others. “But I’m not a prophet.” There will always be some holdouts, he acknowledged.

“I’m not so positive,” said Vikki Krane, a professor and director of women’s studies at Bowling Green State University. “I think we’ll be having similar discussions [in 20 years] — maybe not the exact same…. we have a lot of work to do to make it happen in sports.”

How do we make sports teams and administrators more LGBT-friendly?

In the world of sports, it can be especially hard for an LGBT person to come out. But sometimes all you have to do is take it little by little.

Canadian-born Scott Heggart plays football, basketball, softball and hockey, and he is also gay. He became aware of his sexuality in 7th grade, but was worried about his future as an athlete and a teammate if he came out.

Heggart came out to his family when he was 15, but coming out to his teammates would prove a bigger challenge. So to make it a little easier, he came out anonymously - via one YouTube clip every day for a year from 2008-2009, detailing his experience.

After talking to the world about things like religion, marriage equality and the “ex-gay” movement, Heggart finally came out to his teammates, only to find they were respectful and supportive. After the suicide of Canadian teenager Jamie Hubley last year, Heggart was inspired to become an activist and speak publicly about bullying and coming out.

Scott’s channel is here. Check him out for a reminder that things really can - and do - get better.

Tonight, Dan Savage’s viral It Gets Better campaign will see a new medium in the form of a special on MTV. In an interview with The Advocate published today, Savage talks about the special in the context of his recent glitter-bombing, when activists publicly shamed him for incidents of past transphobia. 

Here’s the Advocate’s rundown of the tonight’s special, which takes a documentary-style approach to the It Gets Better mantra rather than showing tons of short videos:

Viewers on MTV and Logo tonight at 11 p.m. ET will meet Greg, Vanessa and Aydian — a closeted student body president, a lesbian fighting for her family’s acceptance, plus a trans man trying to get married.

I’ll let the interview, linked above, stand for itself. What do you think?

Dan Savage’s It Gets Better project will be featured on TV as an MTV/LOGO special on February 21. 

The hourlong special will focus on three “young people struggling with LGBT issues” and will include appearances by LGBT celebrities like Zachary Quinto and Chaz Bono. Dan Savage, of course, will host. There’s a preview clip at the link above. 

Some of you have very strong feelings, both positive and negative, about Dan Savage. What do you think of this news? Is TV a good forum for It Gets Better’s message? Is this just a way to spotlight Savage? Will this make a difference?