Athlete of the Year Honorable Mentions

Two other athletes who came close

We couldn't leave these guys out!

Honorable Mention: Tom Leng
Las Vegas
Also affectionately known as “Baby T,” Tom is the unofficial one-person welcoming committee to people visiting Las Vegas. More importantly, however, he was instrumental in creating Sin City’s gay softball organization, and he followed that up by creating the city’s first gay basketball team.

There’s no mistaking Baby T on the diamond or the court; players and officials always look forward to his latest fashions – he might show up in fuzzy boots one week and in a prom dress the next.

According to Tom: “If I can take what life has handed me and turn it around and make it into a positive, I know I can help others by being an example both on and off the fields or courts.”


Honorable Mention: Jeff Butler
Austin
Through college, sports had been the most fulfilling aspect of Jeff’s life. … yet he was miserable. After moving to Texas and joining the Shady Ladies softball team as head coach, Jeff says he finally experienced the happiness he had never felt before. The four-sport star in high school learned that sports was about more than winning and losing; he learned that softball could teach people about tolerance and acceptance.

In 2010 Jeff’s Shady Ladies experienced a troubling episode when two of its players were attacked because of their sexual orientation. The team responded by turning it into a rally cry for the community. Six months later the team brought a Gay Softball World Series trophy back to its hometown.
“The Shady Ladies are not just my team,” said Jeff. “They are my family and I could not be more proud."