Chapter 10: Locker Room, Sexuality, and (Queering) Sports: A Testimonial

My fears associated with sports and its spaces, such as the locker room, were derived from my direct relationship with my father and younger brother. Since I was a little boy, I couldn’t reach the desired level of male performance imposed by my father. As I wrote once, in one of my diaries:

As far as I know, I always failed to be the man my father wanted by his side. I also never could perform the “masculinity” played by my younger brother. Obviously, he was my father’s favorite, and, by exclusion, I lived in his shadows during my childhood and early adolescence. Because of this experience, I consider myself a survivor of the bullying I suffered from childhood to adulthood, particularly at school. I survived the socialization process (at school, at church, and even at home), and I thank my mom, who always defended and protected me.