From the Editor: Buddy Early

What makes my heart skip a beat

I’ll be the first to admit that there are times when I get nervous interviewing people. Last year I could hardly contain myself as I talked with Esera Tuaolo. For me, having the chance to chat with someone who played nine years in the NFL is significantly more thrilling than spotting a celebrity in Los Angeles and getting his or her autograph.

I’ve had similar nervous experiences interviewing the likes of Bo Dixon, Diana Nyad and Ian Roberts. Basically, I’m a sports geek, and I’d rather meet an NBA power forward than a Hollywood power player.

Recently, I had an unusual experience during a telephone conversation. I was interviewing actor/model/activist/author Ben Patrick Johnson, and within minutes his voice had transfixed me into a state of bliss. I mean – the man has a sexy voice! I guess that’s why he makes a very comfortable living doing voice-overs for various companies, including the NFL Network, the Big 10 Network and Fox Sports. His story and outlook on life are very inspirational; you can read more about him in this issue.

2010 didn’t start out so great for those of us in the gay sports media. GLAAD’s two-year old Director of Sports Media position was eliminated, and the Women’s Sports Foundation has stopped funding the It Takes A Team! project. These are both unfortunate happenings, but hopefully will not deter the mission we all are working towards. Learn more about these recent developments in William Henderson’s excellent story.

Our annual Swimsuit Issue photo shoot is completed, and we are excited for you to see the results. But you’ll have to wait for our May issue to hit newsstands. I think it will be worth the wait!