TODAY'S SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, AUG. 23

Breakfast
9:30AM-10:45AM

Breakout Sessions
9:30AM-10:45AM

Breakout Sessions
11:00AM-12:15AM

Lunch Plenary
12:30PM-2:00PM

Breakout Sessions
2:15PM-3:30PM

Closing Session
3:45PM-5:15PM

Authors' Café
3:45PM-5:45PM

Not-So-Silent Auction
6:45PM-8:45PM

View the full schedule here

TODAY'S WEATHER

WHAT IS NLGJA?

Find out more about NLGJA at the official website.

MENTORS

A big thanks to our mentors:

Brett Zongker
The Associated Press

Caroline K. Hauser
The Washington Post

Mark S. Luckie
Entertainment Weekly

Larry M. Shaw
ABC

Dennis M. Powell
ABC

Doug Mitchell
NPR

Are LGBT athletes safe at home?

by Kandice Day

With Olympic hopefuls tugging at our heartstrings for the past 14 days, some things seem to be missing.

"The media is actively avoiding the topic (of gays and sports)," said Cyd Zeigler Jr., president and founder of Outsports.com.

Zeigler is familiar with the media's reluctance to cover gay-related issues, such as the gold-medal quest of Australian Olympic athlete Matthew Mitcham, who came out earlier this year.

Zeigler has advocated accurate coverage of LGBT athletes long before NBA player John Amaechi or baseball player Billy Bean made the headlines. He will moderate a discussion about the fair treatment of LGBT people in sports during this morning's breakout session, "Gays & Sports: Asking the Big Questions."

The panel deals with the intricate relationship between the media and gay athletes and will include speakers from GLAAD, the Associated Press and XM Satellite Radio.

NLGJA member Patty Mattern questions the reason for a lack of LGBT sports coverage.
"The media covers personal lives of everyone, but you don't see husbands or wives of certain people," said Mattern, who planed to attend the 11 a.m. session. "It makes you wonder ... There is a 'veil of silence' around homosexuals and athletics."

Sports Out Loud Managing Editor Buddy Early said journalists just aren't asking the right questions. "Journalists assume that they can't ask the question (of whether an athlete is gay)."

Gay NFL lineman Esera Tuaolo broke his silence after he retired. He said that had he believed he was safe enough to be out during his years on the field, he would have been a happier player. Today, he tours the country speaking to crowds about homophobia in sports and the relationship between the media and gay athletes.

"There is a lot of room for improvement within that relationship," Tuaolo said. "It is (the journalist's) responsibility to ask if an athlete is gay."