No, you’re not alone in that I guess. Saying you don’t see sexuality in that is a bit like saying you don’t see skin color. It’s a nice thing to say, but total bullshit.
(BTW, I don’t think cheerleaders should have to do anything off the field)
No offense but this is incorrect. There’s a national college cheer championship. Here’s a cite:
True. I cannot find any evidence of men on this year’s squad either.
However, in 2019-2020 there were 6 male cheer squad members:
https://huskers.com/sports/spirit/roster
As well as at least three more males serving in costumes as mascots.
Only two of those men cheer squad were not seniors (therefore likely to have graduated and no longer being on the squad). Not able to tell if, or why, those two did not continue onto the 2020-2021 squad.
Are those competitive cheerleaders in college the same ones that cheer at the big basketball or football games?
If so, that makes it even more disgusting to pimp them out, as they are athletes and not just decorative booty shakers like some pro cheerleaders. It’s almost like asking an Olympic pole vaulter to show up at events and mingle while wearing their skimpy pole vaulting clothes.
I’d argue that it’s no less disgusting for an academic institution to pimp out its students who are dance performers (“decorative booty shakers”) than to pimp out its students who are competitive athletes.
I can just see the argument now:
“Your Honor, cheerleader attendance at these events was purely voluntary. Northwestern University never made attendance at these events a requirement for membership in the cheerleading squad. As evidence, we present six members of the 2019-2020 squad who never attended any such events, and suffered no repercussions for it.”
Yeah, I did find the spirit squad, and I was wondering whether it was something separate. The male cheerleaders I remember would help with some of the acrobatic routines, by hoisting the women up with one hand, helping throw them in the air, catch them and things of that nature. They may have done some acrobatic stuff themselves, but my memory of that is hazy. I don’t recall a separate name for them when I attended, and it’s unclear if the spirit squad does this, but I suppose it is a type of cheerleading. But I think this might be drifting a bit for this thread. Or perhaps it’s relevant. I don’t know.
All the info comes from the same UNL spirit squad listing, so it’s a permutation of what the squad is called at various times. Cheer, dance, spirit, mascot. The 2019 squad picture also shows six male-presenting members. None such shown in the much smaller all-female presenting cheer squad for 2020. There is a story there, I just don’t know what it is. During the 2018-2019 academic year I went to at least 10 varsity events, football and volleyball. No male cheer squad apparent, although there were mascots in large cumbersome costumes active.
Just want to take a moment to appreciate BippityBoppityBoo. I knew a rabbi a few years back from repeatedly attending a 2 week Jewish camp over several years. I remember him as being a righteous man. Recently, a friend I attended the camp with died. The shivah (mourning service) was on Zoom and a bunch of people from the camp, including the rabbi attended. He was among a few people who had his preferred pronouns listed after his name. This, in my mind, confirmed that he was as righteous as I remember.
Now, after some other kind stuff that I can’t remember at the moment, BippityBoppityBoo goes to the trouble of not assuming somebody’s gender. I begin to have my suspicions that triple B is also righteous.
I try and will keep trying. Thank you for the affirmation. Welcome fuel for the journey.
I wonder if it’s as simple as “you can’t do the lifts and other close contact routines due to COVID, so the guys* will be sitting this year out”.
*Male-presenting members whose primary purpose in a cheer squad is lifts, tosses, and catches.
ETA: Northwestern’s policy on pre-game activities sucks and they deserve to get their ass handed to them in a suit. And I hope they do.