Out and Proud, and Working for the Miami Heat
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by Alex Davidson July 30, 2010 06:36 AM (PT)
Professional sports and the LGBT community don’t usually mix, mainly because the sports teams don’t have an active policy of encouraging us to be out on the court/field, let alone be out and proud in the stands.
But that seems to be changing – a bit. You’d never think it, but it seems that professional sports teams are warming to the idea of having LGBT nights. When it comes to the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Golden State Warriors in California became only the third team to hold an LGBT-focused event earlier this year. The Toronto Raptors were first in 2004, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers.
I wanted to get a sense of what’s going on behind the scenes at a professional sports team. I got in with Lorrie-Ann Diaz, director of marketing communications and advertising for LeBron James’ new team the Miami Heat. Lorrie-Ann is out and proud and offered some great insight on what it’s like to work for a professional sports team and how “the straights” and she interact.
I want to know what your experience has been like as a lesbian working for a major sports team. It sounds like it has been a positive one. Can you tell me why?
I’m delighted to say that my experience as an out lesbian working for a major pro sports team has been a very good one. Perhaps it sounds cliché, but the HEAT’s business operation is a microcosm of our city. We are a very diverse workforce - at every level. And fortunately for those of us who work here, this diversity is welcomed and celebrated.
At the end of the day, we work in sports and entertainment: an industry that creates fun. As such, playfulness and fun is part of our professional DNA. Well, during my first year with the club, my then girlfriend sent me a bouquet of flowers. As I carried the bouquet back to my desk (our office is wide open, like a newsroom), my boss jokingly teased, “Ooh! Someone’s got a man!”
I smiled to myself and thought: “There’s no way I’ll be able to stomach more of that teasing! It will be too stressful and taxing to lie about who I am." So a few days later, I invited my boss (the EVP/CMO) out to lunch.
At lunch, when I disclosed my sexuality (and he apologized for his unwitting faux pas), he was incredibly kind, compassionate and very supportive. And I knew part of that compassion and understanding stems from his own life (he’s a minority himself and in an inter-racial marriage). When I think back to that time - 2010/2011 will be my 11th season - it was only about eight months into my employment with the HEAT. I knew I was taking an enormous risk. But his reaction exceeded my expectations and, as the fairytale goes, we've lived happily ever after!
Have you heard of other sports teams where people work that aren't so welcoming to LGBT folks?
Unfortunately, intolerance still exists all over this country and our industry is not exempt. I personally have not heard of any team that is not welcoming to the LGBT community. But I’d prefer to focus on the positive. As my own experience illustrates, taking a risk can often lead to the opening of doors and the start of an important and ongoing dialogue. In my humble opinion, this is the way we break down stereotypes and intolerance: one person, one conversation, one experience at a time.
Do you think players would want domestic partner benefits? I know plenty of straight couples who like that option because they don't feel forced to be either "together" or married. It's a nice middle ground.
That’s a good and valuable question although I can’t purport to know what the players want and don’t want. In my own life and career, I was overjoyed when the HEAT announced that it would begin offering domestic partner coverage as part of our overall benefits package. I was proud of my franchise for considering the needs of all of its employees. And as you point out, gay couples aren't the only ones who stand to benefit from domestic partnership coverage – an important detail that is often overlooked.
Is there any professional organization that welcomes LGBT workers at sports teams? If not, why not?
I’m not aware of any organization that formally welcomes LGBT workers if/when they join a sports team. I can only speculate as to why that is but I’d venture to say that perhaps it is so because sexual identity is such a highly personal and private matter. Notwithstanding, having been out for so long in my workplace, I guess I’m a one-woman welcoming committee of sorts. Throughout the years, some of my co-workers have approached me for guidance simply because I’m very open about my lifestyle.
Do you belong to any queer professional organizations? How long have you been with the Heat?
While I don’t formally belong to any queer professional organizations, the 2010/2011 season will be my 11th at the HEAT. I know many local movers and shakers in our community and they often and actively seek me out for sponsorship and promotional support for things like events and fundraising and I am happy to oblige them as often as I can.
In addition, I prefer to work behind the scenes, leveraging games and/or concerts to organize social opportunities for professional lesbian women to meet and network.
I wasn’t always in sports management. I kind of fell into it back in 1998, the year of the lockout (I was still living in Los Angeles in those days). I answered a classified ad placed by the Los Angeles Clippers, who were looking for a marketing assistant. After a year there, I decided to come back to my hometown here in the Magic City and thank goodness, got my foot in the door at the HEAT. I worked my way up from Marketing Assistant to Advertising Manager to my current position as Director of Marketing Communications and Advertising. As the years have gone on, I realize how blessed and lucky I am to work in such a supportive environment with such great, smart, and talented people.
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yeah toronto! ;D
