In case you didn’t know, I grew up in Southeast Texas. I grew up a devoted member of the state’s Church of Football and worshipped at its altars every Friday night, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. I grew up playing, in Pop Warner, all the way through high school, and then on to College at Texas A&M University (GO AGGIES!).

When I finally accepted my sexual orientation, I worried that my enthusiasm for football would have to be supplanted by a desire for all things fashion and disco-pop. What I found instead was that my love of sports and competition was matched by thousands of gay men and women who ranged the gamut in age, body type, ethnicity and flamboyance.

I found a 37-year-old transsexual (male-to-female) who could hit and throw a ball further and harder than I could. I found a hairdresser whose knowledge of football stats far and away eclipsed my own. I found guys who, always the last-picked for dodgeball, had turned into top-performing basketball players. In short, stereotypes with which I had grown up were completely obliterated after just a few short weeks in San Diego.

Actively participating in gay sports in San Diego helped me to come to accept who I was, and helped to make me a proud gay man. In other words, sports were my conduit to self-acceptance and pride.

But now I realize I was lucky. Not everyone who comes here has this same experience. Not everyone knows that San Diego is a sports-lover’s paradise, where you can play almost any sport or excel at almost any hobby all year long.

Apparently, San Diego’s plethora of sports/activities by and for gays and lesbians is an unintentional secret. For the last several weeks in this space, I’ve talked about many different organizations, including softball, flag football, wrestling and tennis. There are many, many more, and in the coming weeks they’ll each get some ink.

But since this week’s issue might be one that lives on your shelf for a while, I thought it might be useful to compile a partial list with contact information for many of the sports and recreational organizations here in San Diego. This list cannot possibly be complete, but additional information on some of the other groups can be found in the back of this magazine.

I encourage you to visit this particular column online because all the Web links you see here will be active through your Internet browser. By going to www.gaylesbiantimes.com and clicking “Out on the Field” under the browser to the left, you could be just one click away from becoming involved in the group of your choice.

Basketball: S.D. Hoops is an intramural basketball league by and for gay and lesbian athletes. It is predominantly male. The league is currently in its “open gym” period. Check out its new Web site at www.sdhoops.net.

Softball: America’s Finest City Softball League is preparing to start its fall season in September. One of the largest and oldest sports organizations in the city, the league takes all comers, regardless of skill level. www.afcsl.org.

Flag football: San Diego American Flag Football League just completed its playoffs. The formal league takes players who are interested in learning about football or continuing their love of the sport. www.sdffl.org.

Darts: The Rainbow Dart League is a competitive dart league that plays on Tuesday nights at various bars throughout Hillcrest and North Park. It’s a lot of fun, and trust me, you don’t have to be particularly good. Contact Rod George at rodsd@aol.com.

Wrestling: The San Diego Bulldogs Wrestling organization has been featured previously in these pages. It, like many other organizations, will be wrestling its way through the parade route this weekend, and can be contacted via its Web site: www.sdbulldogswrestling.org.

Swimming: The Different Strokes Swim Team encourages all swimmers or swimming enthusiasts to come out to its practices. All you have to do is be generally fit enough to swim from one end of the pool to the other. All ages and genders are welcome. www.dsst.org.

Tennis: The San Diego Tennis Federation, while predominantly male, welcomes men and women of all ages and skill types. The league is well organized and very friendly. Check it out at www.sdtf.org.

SCUBA diving: Looking for a diving partner? Check out the San Diego Rainbow Scuba Club. It has an active Internet presence and shares a lot of information electronically. The Diving For Life SCUBA Jamboree is coming up in September, and this year it’s in beautiful Belize. Visit www.sdrsc.org.

Rugby: If you’re into more contact, running and sweat, then the San Diego Armada rugby team may just be the place for you. Full of fun, hard work and lots of singing, rugby is a sport that pre-dates American football. www.sdarmada.org.

Bowling: There are actually three separate gay bowling leagues in San Diego. All three are fun, and the main difference between them seems to be what night they roll. You can bowl with the Wednesday night league, Thursday night league or Sunday afternoon league. It’s up to you. For more information, contact Ron Sperry at 619-640-1633.

Bike riding: The Rainbow Cyclists regularly hold rides on the first and third Sundays of each month. The group was founded in 1988 and doesn’t charge membership fees to participate in the bi-monthly rides, and even has a Yahoo! users group you can join to find out more: sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/rainbowcyclists.

4X4 offroading: Yes, Virginia, there is a gay and lesbian off-road group in San Diego. 4x4 Pride is a vibrant organization with a surprisingly equal mix of men and women and trucks and jeeps. Rob Green is the primary contact, and you can check out the group’s Web site at www.4x4pride.org.

Cheerleading: Maybe you’re a cheerleader and not a player. Or maybe you’re both. If you want to find out more about gay cheerleading in San Diego, visit Cheer For Life on the Web at www.geocities.com/sdcheer4life.

Soccer: Soccer is, quite literally, the biggest sport in the world. It is gaining steam and has become more popular in the United States than ever. If you’ve wanted to participate in this sport on a gay and lesbian team, then the Sparks Soccer Club might just be what you’ve been looking for. Visit www.sparkssoccer.org for more information.

Billiards: The San Diego Pool League just completed one of San Diego’s largest pool tournaments, gay, straight or otherwise, the West Coast Challenge. The league welcomes all comers and is very well organized. To find out more, visit its Web site at www.sdpool.org.

Hiking: If you like to go off road on your feet rather than on a bike or a 4x4 vehicle, then you should check out Perfect Pace. You need to be in-shape to hike between 10 and 40 miles, so best to trim down first. If you’re already as fit as a fiddle, you should date me and then visit www.perfectpace.com. The organization caters to men and women throughout Southern California.

Running and walking: Perhaps the most revered organization for athletics in gay and lesbian San Diego is the Front Runners & Walkers. As civic minded as it is recreational, the organization is open to all. For more information on one of the largest, friendliest groups in town, visit www.frwsd.org.

Again, this is just a small sampling of the many different gay and lesbian sports and recreational organizations San Diego has to offer. I hope you return to this column once in a while to find out more about any of these particular organizations, or maybe even one not listed here.

Have fun and stay proud.