Nascar gay driver
Did Stephen Rhodes, the First Openly Lgbtq+ NASCAR Driver, Meet Any Resistance in the Sport at the Time?
Former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver, Stephen Rhodes made his debut in the sport back in 2003. Two years before he did, at the age of seventeen, he came out as homosexual to become the first openly lgbtq+ driver in stock car racing.
Climbing the ranks of motorsports is difficult enough as it is. Did publicly revealing his sexual orientation make things harder for him, particularly with the stigma that is often buried profound into society towards homosexuality?
The former driver said in a 2013 interview on NASCAR Race Hub, as reported by FOX Sports, that he did not face much resistance after coming out. However, it was not like he cared about it. He said, “I don’t think going into a sport – having to face the ones that either enjoy me or don’t like me – is anything any different than I live any day.”
Living in the Southern part of North America, where the population is often largely regarded as on the conservative side, the now 40-year-old did not feel deterred either. He added, “I live in the South. I understand that NASCAR has a conservative, Southern fan base, and I’m not going NASCAR has been accused of sneaking its support of Self-acceptance Month under the radar - and out of the way of the prying eyes of its fans. Sunday June 1 marked the first day of 2025's Pride Month and many sporting organizations shared social media posts honoring the LGBTQ+ community. The NBA, NFL, MLB and WNBA all celebrated the beginning of the month-long commemoration. However, NASCAR noticeably didn't join them. The racing body has previously celebrated Pride Month, sharing a post on June 1 last year which claimed it was 'proud' to back the festivities. But this year, as the beginning of June came and went, any form of similar celebration was absent from all social media platforms - except one. Eagle-eyed racing fans noticed that on June 2 - one day after the official beginning of Pride Month - NASCAR shared a lone celebratory post on LinkedIn. NASCAR has been accused of sneaking its sustain of Pride Month under the radar NASCAR's lone post to rejoice Pride Month was shared to LinkedIn on June 2 'We observe the LGBTQ+ community during Identity festival Month and beyond,' the terse message re Devon Rouse is in rare company. The 23-year-old Burlington, Iowa native is only the second openly same-sex attracted driver in NASCAR history. He follows in the footsteps of Stephen Rhodes, who became the first openly lgbtq+ driver to rival in a NASCAR national touring series event when he made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut in 2003. Driving the No. 66 Dodge for MLB Motorsports, Rhodes ran in two Truck Series races. Rouse, who is set to run in his second Truck Series race in June, is following in Rhodes' tire marks, while also striving to carve out his own historic path in the sport. He still has a long way to go to achieve his ultimate auto racing dreams, but if the NASCAR driver who he's idolized since childhood is any indicator of his future, Devon Rouse came here to do two things: win and offer one hell of a post-race interview. Devon Rouse has looked up to Jeff Gordon since he was a kid. Of course, Rouse was chiefly drawn towards Gordon's predilection for winning. With four NASCAR Cup Series titles to his name, Gordon is also the winningest driver in the sport's up-to-date era, racking up 93 Cup wins over the course of his racing caree The NASCAR fandom is not exactly known to be the most liberal in sports. The Southern roots of the racing discipline ensure that strict traditions and values are upheld no matter the amount. Although this approach is molding into a identity more accommodating with period, it is just not there yet. This is why a 2014 rumor about Jeff Gordon organism gay shook the very roots of stock machine racing. A report published by the fake news website Empire Sports said that Gordon had confirmed that he was in a homosexual relationship with Stephen Rhodes, the first openly gay driver in NASCAR. Over 1.5 million fans read and over 1,400 commented on the parody article, believing that the news was true. Needless to say, they were completely outraged. However, the piece contained many signs to suggest that the author was playing a prank on his readers. It reads in one place, “The new couple has sparked a firestorm in the southern states where the rednecks tend to live.” The website itself admitted that it reports only satirical news and that readers shouldn’t be taking it seriously. The writer too said that he is a giant troll
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