berkeleying bigots, man. Let the dude race.
Love that Grindr ("social networking app," lol) is a sponsor now. Hard to get more out and proud than that.
What’s worse than that dream where you can’t find your clothes? How about someone jacking your safety gear at an event?
That happened to NHRA driver Travis Shumake, son of the late Funny Car Champion Tripp Shumake, at an event in Pomona.
But the community came to the rescue: The younger Shumake recently got new Stand21 safety gear courtesy of Grindr, the popular social networking app.
“As a gay man in America’s oldest conservative Motorsport, authentic representation matters,” Shumake said in a Facebook post. “At 280 MPH, I’m proud to be turning heads and raising eyebrows with Grindr as a partner.”
According to Out Magazine, “Travis Shumake made history as the first out gay driver to compete in a national event on the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) racing circuit.”
berkeleying bigots, man. Let the dude race.
Love that Grindr ("social networking app," lol) is a sponsor now. Hard to get more out and proud than that.
At a half a century now I'm happy at how far we've come in my life of accepting others. I'm also sad at how far we still have to go.
In reply to thatsnowinnebago :
After doing some reading, I don't see any mention of his being gay having anything to do with the stolen gear. Nor do I see where his being gay is holding him back from racing. Who are the bigots you speak of?
In reply to Toyman! :
Uh oh.... prepare for backlash.
Toyman! said:In reply to thatsnowinnebago :
After doing some reading, I don't see any mention of his being gay having anything to do with the stolen gear. Nor do I see where his being gay is holding him back from racing. Who are the bigots you speak of?
I'm there with you. Other than the established stereotypes that tend to follow motorsports, I was expecting to see someone had looted his suit or something. Maybe I missed it.
In reply to Toyman! :
The only out gay man in drag racing getting his gear stolen makes me suspicious of the motives. Stealing gear is a pretty classic move against a minority in any sport.
The fact that it took until 2022 for someone to both be out in drag racing tells me that being gay has most likely held people back from racing. I suppose it's possible that he's the only gay man who has ever been good enough to make it in the NHRA but the odds are pretty low.
Edit: to be clear, the assumed bigots here are the people who stole his gear.
In reply to thatsnowinnebago :
I assumed the same but did some digging. While I think the gear theft may have been someone with an agenda and a bigot, the NHRA has apparently been nothing but welcoming.
The news media has us all trained to go for the throat as soon as they put a story out. Their articles are written to lead you to an assumption, frequently a wrong one. I think we, as a society, need to stop assuming the worst of everyone. Labeling entire groups of people based on the assumed actions of a few does nothing but drive the wedges dividing us even deeper. Let's start giving the benefit of the doubt. Assume people are doing their best, not their worst. Judge people by their actions, not by the actions of someone loosly affiliated with them. At least until proved otherwise. Then you can lower the boom on them.
While I'm not in their market segment, I'd be happy for Grindr, j-date, farmers only, or furry mate to pay for my racing habit.
In reply to MattGent :
It's almost like racing is going mainstream.
In reply to Toyman! :
Several years ago, we were with a rather famous driver here at Daytona. I forget the situation, but he was like, Grab my car keys, they're in my driver suit.
And there, in his driver suit, just sitting in a trailer, were his car keys. Along with his wallet.
The take-home: Keep an eye on your stuff.
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