d2 team in 2007
Seattle, WA -
Three bisexual men are suing the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance after they say their softball team was disqualified because they were not gay enough.
The California men -- Steven Apilado, LaRon Charles and Jon Russ — played on a team called D2 which qualified for the 2008 Gay Softball World Series held in Seattle. The rules say that no team can have more than two straight players. Another team accused D2 of breaking that rule.
Apilado, Charles and Russ say they were interrogated in front of dozens of people about their sexual orientations. At one point, the plaintiffs claim they were told: "This is the Gay World Series, not the Bisexual World Series."
The Alliance ruled the men "nongay," took away D2's second place finish and recommended that the men be suspended from the World Series.
The plaintiffs, who have filed a federal lawsuit, each want $75,000 plus they want D2's second place finish back.
The North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance includes more than 680 teams in 37 leagues in the U.S. and Canada. This year's Gay Softball World series is scheduled to be played in Columbus, Ohio in August.
The California men -- Steven Apilado, LaRon Charles and Jon Russ — played on a team called D2 which qualified for the 2008 Gay Softball World Series held in Seattle. The rules say that no team can have more than two straight players. Another team accused D2 of breaking that rule.
Apilado, Charles and Russ say they were interrogated in front of dozens of people about their sexual orientations. At one point, the plaintiffs claim they were told: "This is the Gay World Series, not the Bisexual World Series."
The Alliance ruled the men "nongay," took away D2's second place finish and recommended that the men be suspended from the World Series.
The plaintiffs, who have filed a federal lawsuit, each want $75,000 plus they want D2's second place finish back.
The North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance includes more than 680 teams in 37 leagues in the U.S. and Canada. This year's Gay Softball World series is scheduled to be played in Columbus, Ohio in August.
