00:00The NFL season has officially begun, and this year there are 68 men on the teams.
00:04League cheerleaders. Yes, 68 men cheering in a hyper-masculine sport where we
00:10We're used to seeing strong, powerful men competing. Well, we'll also see others dancing.
00:15cheering and doing acrobatics. Okay, so what's so important? It might seem like a curious fact,
00:20But in 2025, the presence of some of them provoked a strong reaction on social media.
00:24After Luis Conn and Blaise Chic were introduced as the newest members of
00:28Minnesota Vikings team. Both are gay and received insults and questions about their
00:33masculinity by appearing dancing the same choreographies as their female colleagues
00:37team. The organization came to their defense and pointed out that the men have been participating for decades.
00:42in cheerleading. It was clearly a homophobic and sexist attack, but had they really been around for decades?
00:48What better excuse than this to tell you a historical tidbit about cheerleading and feminization?
00:52of this activity and the discrimination towards gay men or men with masculinities that fall outside of
00:57the norm. It turns out that in the mid-19th century, cheerleading was mainly composed of
01:01men. It had to do with gymnastics, acrobatics, leadership, and supporting sports teams.
01:06Prestige became so high that in 1911 Nation magazine compared being a good cheerleader to
01:11To be a quarterback. And that's very high in American culture. In fact, four
01:15Several US presidents were cheerleaders. Dwight Eisenhower, Franklin Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, and
01:20George Bush. So, at what point did it become a feminized or gay activity?
01:25The incorporation of women gradually changed the perception of this space.
01:29We already know that these perceptions are guided by a patriarchal culture in which what they do
01:34Women are valued less or it is seen as something negative. During World War I,
01:39When many men were sent to fight, women began to occupy these positions. Later
01:43There were attempts to expel them, even under the argument that cheerleading was too masculine.
01:48for them. But the women eventually joined permanently and the activity began to
01:54to acquire a new image. By the mid-20th century, the ideal cheerleading was no longer about the gym.
01:59or leadership. More about beauty, joy, and good manners. Typical of stereotypes with
02:04those roles that a patriarchal society assigns to women. When she began to associate with women,
02:09It lost the prestige it had when it was associated with men.
02:13Mind you, it wasn't their fault. And so the men distanced themselves from that idea because how scary that
02:18the
02:18They associate it with something feminine. Listen, dance, acrobatics, or animation have no gender.
02:24We are the ones who decide to divide them, assign them labels, and give them different levels.
02:30Their value depends on who makes them. Well, this NFL season we'll see many
02:35Men cheering. Cis men, heterosexuals, but also gay or queer men. And some arrived
02:40to stay, although probably not all of them arrived with the mission to fight the
02:44Homophobia or challenging hegemonic masculinities. Some simply want to dance, work in whatever
02:49They like it and do it well. But their presence, especially that of those who are openly
02:54LGBT does challenge those ideas. Jackson O'Brien, one of the new Philadelphia cheerleaders
02:59Eagles player Luis Cone is gay and said that dancing saved their lives. Luis Cone and Blaise Cheek of the Vikings
03:04They are also gay, and proud of it. Jeremy Greer of the New England Patriots identifies as
03:09a gender-fluid person who has spoken about dance as a way of expressing and understanding oneself.
03:14Some have only been there for a season, while others have been there for years. Randolph Rivera, for example, is part of
03:19part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for nine seasons. The presence of these men
03:24It gives visibility to diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.
03:28in a sport strongly associated with a traditional idea of masculinity. And that's why the homophobic attacks.
03:34And sexist figures from 2025 are important for understanding what's happening. The criticisms were
03:39directed at the masculinity of the dancers. They said there was something wrong with a
03:44If a man moved, dressed, or spoke in a way considered feminine, it was considered unfeminine. Because...
03:49Men are taught that there are behaviors, tastes, and ways of expressing themselves that they can do
03:54They seem less masculine. And one of the mechanisms for imposing that norm is to associate it with femininity.
03:58with being gay and presenting both things as something a real man should avoid.
04:03That also explains why homophobia ends up targeting men who aren't even gay.
04:07bisexual or with a different orientation or identity. It's enough to appear too feminine, sensitive,
04:12expressive or simply deviate from the norm to receive the same punishment.
04:16That's why it's wow that these men can be there. They don't have to prove themselves.
04:20masculine enough to deserve it. They don't need to dress up, dance, or behave either.
04:25In a way, so that their sexual orientation is respected. They can simply dance and
04:29Encourage. What do you think? Leave your comments below.
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