[HOCKEY SOUNDS.]

IT'S A SATURDAY EVENING IN APRIL, AND TWO TEAMS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY GAY HOCKEY ASSOCIATION ARE LOCKED IN A CRUCIAL PLAYOFF BATTLE AT CHELSEA PIERS SKY RINK.  THE ROCKETS, IN RED, ARE SQUARING OFF AGAINST THE HOTSHOTS, IN BLUE.  THE CO-ED TEAMS, MOSTLY MALE, ARE IN A BEGINNERS DIVISION OF THE CHELSEA PIERS ADULT LEAGUE.  A CROWD OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS IS GATHERED BEHIND THE PLEXIGLASS WALL ON ONE SIDE OF THE RINK. ALEX GALVEZ IS WATCHING HIS BOYFRIEND, JOHN MANCUSO, WHO'S ON THE ICE IN A HOTSHOTS JERSEY, NEAR THE OTHER TEAM'S GOAL.

GALVEZ: “He doesn’t have the puck but he’s making himself available for a pass. And now the puck’s going the other way, so he’s transitioning back to play defense. And he’s not going to go too low because he’s anticipating the puck coming back this way so he can have a breakaway which, there he goes…” 

MANCUSO GETS THE PUCK AND THEN LOSES IT.  GALVEZ WATCHES intently, HIS ARMS CROSSED.  HE PLAYS FOR ANOTHER GAY HOCKEY ASSOCIATION TEAM, AND SAYS HOCKEY IS HIS FAVORITE SPORT.  HE SAYS HE AND MANCUSO WATCH EACH OTHER'S GAMES BUT THEY'VE NEVER FACED OFF AS OPPONENTS.

GALVEZ: “We have played on same teams actually in tournaments, and umm, we actually play pretty good together, we seem to, I don’t know if it’s like the boyfriend bond or whatever but we seem to know where each other is on the ice.” (:17)

THEY MET THROUGH ONE OF GALVEZ'S TEAMMATES.  MANCUSO IS A RELATIVE NEWCOMER TO HOCKEY, BUT GALVEZ HAS BEEN PLAYING IN THE GAY LEAGUE FOR SEVEN YEARS, SINCE HE WAS 28.  HE SAYS HE WASN'T INTERESTED IN SPORTS WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER...AND DIDN'T WANT TO HIDE WHO HE WAS AROUND people WHO WOULDN'T ACCEPT A GAY TEAMMATE.  HE SAYS EVERYONE'S ACCEPTING IN THE GAY HOCKEY ASSOCIATION.  BUT NOT EVERYONE'S GAY. 

(FADE OUT) 

THE LEAGUE HAS WELCOMED STRAIGHT PLAYERS SINCE IT FORMED IN 2000.  (BRING IN OUTSIDE AMBI)  IN FACT, HOT SHOTS TEAM CAPTAIN JONATHAN RICHTER SAYS MOST OF THE TEAMS ARE AT LEAST 50 PERCENT STRAIGHT. THE REASON, HE SAYS, IS THERE'S A LIMITED NUMBER OF TEAMS IN THE CITY.

RICHTER: "It wouldn't have been like this a number of years ago, but now, this is New York, umm... straight people between having a New York Gay Hockey patch on their jersey and not playing at all, they'd rather play." (:12)

STRAIGHT PARTICIPATION MAY BE ONE REASON THE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION HAS ADDED FOUR TEAMS SINCE IT FORMED.  BUT OTHER LEAGUES ARE ALSO APPEARING AND GROWING...WITH MOSTLY GAY MEMBERSHIP.  JEFF KAGAN RUNS OUT OF BOUNDS, AN UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION FOR GAY SPORTS IN NEW YORK. HE SAYS WHEN HIS GROUP STARTED IN 2000, IT OVERSAW ABOUT 20 LEAGUES. NOW THERE ARE ABOUT 36.  (ROOM TONE) KAGAN SAYS THIS IS SIMPLE NUMBERS: MORE PEOPLE ARE COMING OUT.

KAGAN: "... And I think a lot of that is helped by the role models that we see, either in Hollywood, or I wish I could say in the sports community but there are really not many gay sports role models yet." (:34)  (ROOM TONE OUT)

KAGAN ALSO COFOUNDED THE GAY HOCKEY ASSOCIATION.  HE SAYS IT'S IMPORTANT FOR GAY LEAGUES TO BE LGBT FRIENDLY, BUT NOT TO EXCLUDE ANYONE ON THE BASIS OF SEXUALITY.  THESE LEAGUES ARE LESS ABOUT POLITICS, MORE ABOUT COMPETITION.  BUT KAGAN SAYS THEY HELP BUILD BRIDGES BETWEEN GAY AND STRAIGHT PLAYERS, WHO DO A LOT TO ADVANCE THE CAUSE OF GAY RIGHTS.

KAGAN: "I like to say that they're ambassadors to the straight community, that these people go back and say that I play with gay athletes, and they're the same as me, and it's great we have a lot of fun." (:07)

[BASKETBALL SOUNDS]

THE NEXT DAY AT CHELSEA PIERS, THE MATCHUP'S ON THE BASKETBALL COURT. TEAM MONSTER BAR IS SQUARING OFF AGAINST THE EG LABRADORS.

[PLAY BASKETBALL SOUNDS IN CLEAR.]

IT'S SEVEN ON SEVEN, PLAYED HALF COURT. MONSTER BAR IS UP BY 10 POINTS AT THE HALF, IN LARGE PART BECAUSE OF TEAM CAPTAIN JEFF SCHENKER. THE FIVE-FOOT-FIVE SCHENKER IS AN UNLIKELY STAR. HE'S QUICK, AGILE, AND SINKS THREES WITH IMPRESSIVE ACCURACY. THE PLAY IS PRETTY ROUGH. SCHENKER DRIVES DOWN THE COURT AND PASSES TO DAVE RUBIN, WHO GOES FOR A LAYUP... MISSES...AND LANDS HARD ON THE WOOD COURT.

[RUBIN FALLING ON FLOOR.]

RUBIN IS THE MORE AGGRESSIVE PLAYER.  WHEN HE'S NOT ON THE COURT, HE'S A STANDUP COMEDIAN DEVELOPING HIS OWN TV SHOW.  HE SAYS HE'S BEEN SHOOTING HOOPS SINCE HE WAS A KID.

RUBIN: "Basketball was really my first love.  I love playing basketball.  It's the only time, maybe exception of when I'm on stage that I c -- not even when I'm on stage -- that I can shut down my brain and I'm totally focused and in it, and in the moment.  It's very easy for me to do that, which otherwise, for the other 23 hours a day, is hard to do."  (:18)

RUBIN HAS BEEN PLAYING WITH THE GAY LEAGUE FOR THREE YEARS. THOUGH HE HAS A LONG TERM BOYFRIEND, HE SAYS HE ENJOYS THE CAMERADERIE WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE LEAGUE.

RUBIN: "There's nothing gay going on on the court per se, but you're playing with. I think it's just a way to meet people. I think I've realized that there are more gay guys like me, I think, than I thought, maybe, a couple years ago."

LIKE RUBIN, MANY PLAYERS SAY THEY JOINED THE LEAGUES TO CONNECT WITH OTHER GAY MEN OUTSIDE THE TYPICAL VENUES OF BARS AND THE GYM.  SOME, LIKE ALEX GALVEZ, FOUND LOVE THROUGH SPORTS.  BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING, THEY SAY THEY WANT A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT TO COMPETE.  RUBIN SAYS THIS JOE-SIXPACK ORDINARINESS CAN EXPAND NOTIONS OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE GAY.

RUBIN: "Well you know as Homer Simpson said, Marge I like my beer cold, my TV loud, and my homosexuals flaming, and if you watch television that's what you see. Everyone you see on TV that's gay is some kind of designer or fashion thing, or a chef.  And there are really gay people who are garbage men, or comedians, and... whatever else comes in between garbage men and comedian.  We just so happen to be gay."  (:25)

[BUZZER.]

TEAM MONSTER BAR CHEERS AS THE BUZZER GOES OFF.  THEY'VE WON, AND ARE UNDEFEATED.

BACK AT SKY RINK, THE HOT SHOTS AND THE ROCKETS ARE TIED, AND IN A SHOOTOUT TO DETERMINE WHO WILL ADVANCE IN THE PLAYOFFS.  AFTER A SERIES OF BLOCKED SHOTS, THE ROCKETS WIN THE GAME.  ALEX GALVEZ, ON THE SIDELINES, IS DISAPPOINTED FOR HIS BOYFRIEND.

ME: “So this takes ‘em out of contention. They’re out of the playoffs.”

GALVEZ: “That’s correct, they’re done. Off to the golf courses, as they say.” (:20)

OR THE BASEBALL DIAMOND.  GALVEZ SAYS HIS BOYFRIEND, JOHN MANCUSO, IS A DIE-HARD YANKEES FAN, WHO EVEN SCORED TICKETS TO THE HOME OPENER.  BUT GALVEZ HATES BASEBALL, SO MANCUSO TOOK HIS MOM INSTEAD.