Former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver, Stephen Rhodes made his debut in the sport back in 2003. Two years before he did, at the age of seventeen, he came out as gay to become the first openly homosexual driver in stock car racing.
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Climbing the ranks of motorsports is hard enough as it is. Did publicly revealing his sexual orientation make things harder for him, particularly with the stigma that is often buried deep into society towards homosexuality?
The former driver said in a 2013 interview on NASCAR Race Hub, as reported by FOX Sports, that he did not face much resistance after coming out. However, it was not like he cared about it. He said, “I don’t think going into a sport – having to face the ones that either like me or don’t like me – is anything any different than I live any day.”
Living in the Southern part of North America, where the population is often largely regarded as on the conservative side, the now 40-year-old did not feel deterred either. He added, “I live in the South. I know that NASCAR has a conservative, Southern fan base, and I’m not going to try and change anyone’s minds and their opinions. They’re either going to like me or going to hate me. That’s just life in general, really.”
His resilience carried him to two Truck Series starts for MLB Motorsports in 2003. He raced the #66 Dodge at the Mesa Marin Raceway and at Martinsville finishing 30th in the former and 21st in the latter event.
At the time of the Race Hub segment, he was expected to return to NASCAR racing in 2014. But that never fell through despite large sections of fans expressing their support for him.
Does Rhodes think NASCAR is ready for a gay driver now?
A 2018 interview with queerty.com further clarifies Rhodes’s stance. He noted that many believe that NASCAR is filled with “homophobic rednecks” and that this couldn’t be further from the truth. He said, “Society’s acceptance for the LGBTQ community has certainly improved since I first started driving in NASCAR, as has NASCAR’s.”
That said, he does think that there is space for improvement. He continued, “What matters most going forward is that each of us is brave enough to be open and honest about who we are, especially in difficult situations. We all face prejudice and ignorance, which can only be changed by challenging people’s expectations and assumptions.”
The racing world has come a good distance even from the time of this interview. Others like Zach Herrin and Devon Rouse have opened up about their sexual orientation since and have had mixed experiences. It remains to be seen how the landscape changes going forward.
