Is Sport the Final Frontier for Queer Acceptance?

In the past half-century LGBTQ+ people in the United States have made long strides toward full equality and acceptance into mainstream national culture—including in the arts, theater, music, and film. Queer athletes excel, too. But they haven’t established the same kind of foothold in American sports—especially men’s—which have become an arena for heated debates around gender identity and sexuality, fueled by vitriol and hate. A 2023 “Pride Night” at Dodgers Stadium turned into a full-out culture war, with thousands protesting the event. And across the country, state laws take aim at the next generation of professional athletes, banning transgender youth from participating in school sports.

Actors and athletes alike dress up and stage plays to entertain large audiences. Why is queerness so readily exhibited and accepted in the theater and still so taboo on the field? Can history show us how song and dance can break through the rigid heterosexuality ubiquitous in American sports? What if we made sport a place to play with gender and sexuality, and give voice to our authentic selves—to who we are as a people, community, nation, team?

Theater-maker Taylor Mac and former NFL player, LGBTQ+ advocate, and singer Esera Tuaolo join Zócalo and ASU 365 Community Union for Movies on the Field at Mountain America Stadium for a conversation around song, sports, and making queer history.

6:30 pm a one-of-a-kind scavenger hunt
7:30 pm a conversation between two LGBTQ greats on sports and queer history (live-streamed)
8:30 pm a film screening of Taylor Mac's 24-Decade History of Popular Music

Please note that this conversation will be hosted in Arizona, if you plan to watch online from another time zone, ensure you are marking your calendar with the correct start date (Tempe is one hour ahead of Los Angeles)

If you are located in Arizona and would like to join in on our in-person fun activities, here.

Host or Publisher Zócalo Public Square