Eric Anderson (Sociologist)
Encyclopedia
Eric Gumby Anderson is an American Sociologist specializing in the field of masculinities, sport and sexuality. Prior to becoming a sociologist, Anderson coached the boys' distance running team at Huntington Beach High School
, in Orange County, California
. After coaching for eight years, he revealed his sexuality to the school's administration in the spring of 1993, at the age of 25. Anderson said he waited so long to come out partly because he did not know anyone else who was gay. However, Anderson's secret caused him severe migraines and ulcers, and he believed that coming out could help his closeted runners not feel so alone.
Revealing his secret turned out to be just the beginning. Anderson not only became America’s first openly gay high school coach, but he did so in Orange County, CA, dubbed the "Orange Curtain
" for being politically ultra-conservative. In his autobiography, Trailblazing: America's First Openly Gay High School Coach, Anderson recounts the hardships he and his runners endured after he came out. His team was constantly attacked with antigay slurs and was often in fear for their physical safety. As precautionary measures "Coach Gumby" told his runners to always enter the locker room in large numbers and to leave practice together, having one person drive the other runners to their cars. For his own safety Anderson went as far as to learn self-defense from one of his runners, who was a black belt in karate. In the midst of all the bullying, the team managed to achieve its greatest success. They won the County Championship in consecutive seasons and sent a team to the California State Meet for the first time in Huntington Beach’s school history. However, in spite of all their precautions and success, the team still faced constant homophobia
. Three years after Anderson came out, a football player brutally attacked one of his runners, Jerryme Negrete, shattering his jaw. After the attack, Anderson stopped coaching and returned to school to earn his PhD
in sociology
at the University of California, Irvine
. For his doctoral thesis Anderson researched the experiences of 42 openly gay high school and college athletes. He identified ways that homophobia impacts how both gay and straight men behave.
In February 2004, while Anderson was working on his dissertation at UCI, a judge allowed San Francisco to continue granting marriage licenses to gays and lesbians. This ruling allowed Anderson, 36, to marry his partner of six years, actor Grant Peterson, 26. Also that year, Anderson took a teaching position at the State University of New York, Stony Brook.
. Anderson cited frustration with certain aspects of American life, such as how President George W. Bush
used same-sex marriage
as a “vote puller,” as reasons for his move. Working in the Department of Education, he lectured on coach education and sports development. In 2011, Anderson was appointed Professor of Sport Studies at the University of Winchester.
Since going back to school Anderson has found tremendous success, lecturing at countless universities and performing extensive research on sexuality. He has also written numerous books on topics ranging from homophobia (Trailblazing) to gay athletes (In the Game: Gay Athletes and the Cult of Masculinity) to the negative aspects of sport (Sport, Theory and Social Problems: A Critical Introduction). His book Inclusive Masculinity: The Changing Nature of Masculinities is the first comprehensive study to show that declining homophobia permits heterosexual athletes to construct a softer version of masculinity. Anderson’s research also indicates that more men are aware of their bisexuality and that young heterosexual men’s masculinity is becoming more inclusive. This is evident in data from his interviews with 145 college males in Britain, which revealed that 89% of the men had kissed another male and did not consider the act sexual.
’s The Real Gilligan's Island
as “the Professor.” He has spoken on NPR
with Billy Bean
, and was interviewed by CBS News
about his research on gay men in sport. His research on bisexuality has also appeared in interviews with CNN
, Scientific American
, and the Los Angeles Times
.
He appeared as “The Professor” on the 2004 season of The Real Gilligan's Island
, a TBS (TV Channel)
reality television series based on the 1960s classic Gilligan’s Island. Producer Lloyd Schwartz said Anderson “brings what the original professor had, which is intelligence. I hope that the audience sees that gay people aren’t just defined by their sexuality. In every possibly way, they are part of society.”
Anderson is currently working on The Monogamy Gap: Men, Love & the Reality of Cheating, set to be released in 2011.
Huntington Beach High School
Huntington Beach High School is a public high school in Huntington Beach, California. Opened in 1906, it is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District. HBHS is a California Distinguished School...
, in Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
. After coaching for eight years, he revealed his sexuality to the school's administration in the spring of 1993, at the age of 25. Anderson said he waited so long to come out partly because he did not know anyone else who was gay. However, Anderson's secret caused him severe migraines and ulcers, and he believed that coming out could help his closeted runners not feel so alone.
Revealing his secret turned out to be just the beginning. Anderson not only became America’s first openly gay high school coach, but he did so in Orange County, CA, dubbed the "Orange Curtain
Orange Curtain
The Orange Curtain is a term that refers to the border between Orange County and Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. It is a sometimes derogatory, sometimes lighthearted term, that is used to describe Orange County's more conservative and suburban population as compared to the more...
" for being politically ultra-conservative. In his autobiography, Trailblazing: America's First Openly Gay High School Coach, Anderson recounts the hardships he and his runners endured after he came out. His team was constantly attacked with antigay slurs and was often in fear for their physical safety. As precautionary measures "Coach Gumby" told his runners to always enter the locker room in large numbers and to leave practice together, having one person drive the other runners to their cars. For his own safety Anderson went as far as to learn self-defense from one of his runners, who was a black belt in karate. In the midst of all the bullying, the team managed to achieve its greatest success. They won the County Championship in consecutive seasons and sent a team to the California State Meet for the first time in Huntington Beach’s school history. However, in spite of all their precautions and success, the team still faced constant homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
. Three years after Anderson came out, a football player brutally attacked one of his runners, Jerryme Negrete, shattering his jaw. After the attack, Anderson stopped coaching and returned to school to earn his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at the University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
. For his doctoral thesis Anderson researched the experiences of 42 openly gay high school and college athletes. He identified ways that homophobia impacts how both gay and straight men behave.
In February 2004, while Anderson was working on his dissertation at UCI, a judge allowed San Francisco to continue granting marriage licenses to gays and lesbians. This ruling allowed Anderson, 36, to marry his partner of six years, actor Grant Peterson, 26. Also that year, Anderson took a teaching position at the State University of New York, Stony Brook.
Career in Sociology
Later Anderson moved to the UK to begin teaching at the University of BathUniversity of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
. Anderson cited frustration with certain aspects of American life, such as how President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
used same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
as a “vote puller,” as reasons for his move. Working in the Department of Education, he lectured on coach education and sports development. In 2011, Anderson was appointed Professor of Sport Studies at the University of Winchester.
Since going back to school Anderson has found tremendous success, lecturing at countless universities and performing extensive research on sexuality. He has also written numerous books on topics ranging from homophobia (Trailblazing) to gay athletes (In the Game: Gay Athletes and the Cult of Masculinity) to the negative aspects of sport (Sport, Theory and Social Problems: A Critical Introduction). His book Inclusive Masculinity: The Changing Nature of Masculinities is the first comprehensive study to show that declining homophobia permits heterosexual athletes to construct a softer version of masculinity. Anderson’s research also indicates that more men are aware of their bisexuality and that young heterosexual men’s masculinity is becoming more inclusive. This is evident in data from his interviews with 145 college males in Britain, which revealed that 89% of the men had kissed another male and did not consider the act sexual.
In the media
Anderson has appeared on numerous television shows, including TBS (TV Channel)TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
’s The Real Gilligan's Island
The Real Gilligan's Island
The Real Gilligan's Island was a reality television series that aired two seasons on TBS in 2004 and 2005. Contestants on the show were required to participate in challenges based on plots from the 1960s television show. Both editions of the show were recorded in the Mexican Caribbean on a...
as “the Professor.” He has spoken on NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
with Billy Bean
Billy Bean
William Daro "Billy" Bean is a former Major League Baseball player who made news in 1999 when he made his homosexuality public.-Career:...
, and was interviewed by CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
about his research on gay men in sport. His research on bisexuality has also appeared in interviews with CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
, and the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
.
He appeared as “The Professor” on the 2004 season of The Real Gilligan's Island
The Real Gilligan's Island
The Real Gilligan's Island was a reality television series that aired two seasons on TBS in 2004 and 2005. Contestants on the show were required to participate in challenges based on plots from the 1960s television show. Both editions of the show were recorded in the Mexican Caribbean on a...
, a TBS (TV Channel)
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
reality television series based on the 1960s classic Gilligan’s Island. Producer Lloyd Schwartz said Anderson “brings what the original professor had, which is intelligence. I hope that the audience sees that gay people aren’t just defined by their sexuality. In every possibly way, they are part of society.”
Publications
Anderson has written eight books and numerous scientific articles, including:- Sport, Theory and Social Problems: A Critical Introduction. London: Routledge, 2010.
- Inclusive Masculinity: The Changing Nature of Masculinities. New York: Routledge, 2009. http://ericandersonphd.com/resources/choice%20award%20inclusive%20masculinity.jpg Book Review
- Souls of Our Nation: The Lost Tale of Slavery, Revolutionary War, and the Burning of Manhattan. BookSurge Publishing, 2009. Set in 1775, this historic fiction novel relates slave owner Cromwell Stone's struggles with slavery and American independence from Britain during the American Revolution.
- The Runner's Textbook. BookSurge Publishing, 2009. This textbook describes the physiological, psychological and sociological aspects of running, and includes racing strategies for long distance runners.
- In the Game: Gay Athletes and the Cult of Masculinity.State University of New York Press, 2005. This book is based on interviews with 60 gay athletes from North America. Forty interviewees were gay while 20 were still in the closet.
- Trailblazing: America’s First Openly Gay Track Coach. Los Angeles: Alyson Press, 2000. An autobiography of Anderson's experience after he revealed his sexuality.
- Training Games: Coaching Runners Creatively. Palo Alto, CA: Track & Field News Press, 1998. A guide for track coaches, this book offers ideas on how to motivate and rejuvenate runners, as well as strategies to improve race tactics and embolden runners' mental games.
Anderson is currently working on The Monogamy Gap: Men, Love & the Reality of Cheating, set to be released in 2011.