The Los Angeles Rams have made NFL history by hiring two men as team cheerleaders. When the season kicks off this summer, they will be the first two totally equal male cheerleaders in the league’s modern history.
Quinton Peron and Napolean Jinnies are two classically trained dancers who will join the Rams cheerleading squad this year.
“I want to prove that boys can dance, too,” Peron said, according to Hornet. “After college we’re not given a choice or a chance to do anything after. We’re, like, just told to get a 9-to-5 job and that’s it. But that doesn’t work. I am an artist, I am a creative person.”
The Baltimore Ravens added essentially stuntmen a couple years ago. And back in the early 2000s the Tennessee Titans had male yell leaders for a nanosecond. These roles have continued the stereotypical “what guys do”: yell and throw things.
Peron and Jinnies are the first two men who will be dancing and shaking pompoms just like the women.
The Rams have made a real splash since returning to Los Angeles, embracing some of the inclusive culture of the city. Last year the team sponsored Venice Pride. Now this move upends some of the gender norms that have been pushed in the league for decades.