Game Face: Film Analysis

Sexuality Does not Define a Person

Game Face documents and expresses the everyday struggles transgender and gay athletes have to face. The documentary tells the true story of Fallon Fox, an MMA transgender fighter, and a gay basketball player named Terrence Clemens. Their inspirational journeys touched many lives. Furthermore, Fallon Fox’s journey was not easy. From the very start, she was forced to be brave and determined. As a single mother and newly transgender woman, the MMA world did not know her true past. Her coaches and family did not accept her in the beginning and she was forced to overcome her problems on her own, although her daughter always supported her. Fox often thought about suicide in her early transition stages. She felt

His name was Terrence Clemens and he was gay. In his early career of basketball he played on a team called LA City Wildcats. A rumor was spread on his team that he was found in bed with a man. This caused his teammates to treat him differently and isolate him. Soon after, he became very lost emotionally and mentally and began to hang with the wrong people. This low point in his life caused him to go to jail for 10 months due to criminal activity. When Clemens was realized he knew he had to get his life together. Eight months after being released, Brian Allen helped him strengthen his basketball skills in hopes that he would get a scholarship. Basketball was Clemens’ ticket out. He worked very hard and was accepted to play baseball for Oklahoma on a full ride scholarship. It took Clemens awhile to fit in with this new team which made it even harder for Clemens to come out about being gay. He felt people would not accept him and he'd be treated differently. A big turning point for Clemens was when NBA basketball player Jason Collins came out and said he was gay. Collins was the first NBA player to announce that he was gay. This have Clens hope that one day he would feel confident enough to come out to his team. Clemens sought out advice from Collins and looked up to him. The best advice Collins gave was to be true and honest with oneself and the rest will fall

Throughout Game Face, both Fallon Fox and Terrence Clemens hid their sexuality from the public, peers and coaches. Fox wanted to be known as Fallon Fox- a great MMA fighter, not Fallon Fox- trans-female MMA fighter. She kept her past to herself for as long as she could because she knew the public would have mixed reactions about her fighting. Similarly, Clemens kept his sexuality to himself the entire two years he played with his basketball team. He did not want to be treated differently or isolated by his coaches and teammates. Furthermore, studies show that three-quarters of gay and transgender people feel they need to lie about their gender or sexual identity, according to a survey commissioned by charity Pride in London (Sharkov, 2016). LGBT community members feel they have to hide their sexulty inorder to fit in with their peers. It takes a lot of trust and courage for some to come forth about their sexuality. It is especially hard for LGBT athletes to express thier sexualty because they are constantly in the public's eye. They may fear what the public’s reaction will be and how it will affect their athletic career. Acceptance and equal opportunities should be obtained when it comes to LGBT athletes. For instance, according to the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Networks 2011 National School Climate Survey, nearly 30 percent of LGBT athletes report being attacked or harassed for their sexual