Former NBA player John Amaechi's recent announcement that he is gay has created significant headlines. Amaechi becomes the first NBA player to make such an announcement, joining Esera Tuaolo as the first and only openly gay former professional athletes of consequence. The reactions to Amaechi's announcement have been widely varied. The landscape of pro sports is very much in step with the stereotypes of masculinity and virility, even womanizing, among male stars. Sheryl Swoopes came out in 2004, breaking the barrier within women's sports. Most didn't seem greatly affected by Swoopes admission; for better or worse many people stereotype female athletes in an unflattering light in terms of sexuality, so it wasn't exactly a shocking revelation. But in Amaechi's case, much like Tuaolo, the male sports landscape is very different. Athletes like Shawn Kemp exhibit the extremes of the aforementioned male stereotype (depending on the source, apocryphal or not, Kemp has fathered anywhere from a few to numerous children with numerous women while playing in the NBA.) Homosexuality in general is looked at askance. In pro sports, homosexuality is simply unacceptable, at least in popular perception. I have no problem with Amaechi's sexual preference. In fact, such "admissions" shouldn't even be newsworthy. However, until society catches up with reality, that there are millions of homosexual people on the planet whether you like it or not, news fodder will still be had of the bedroom practices of its people. (As an aside, I am much more offended by Amaechi's openly laissez-faire attitude while playing in the NBA. That is, he openly said he had very little passion for the game and that it was simply a way to make money.) I am a deeply religious person and unfortunately the "religious right" has caused a broad stroke to be painted on us: that we all condemn gay people, that they are diseased and "need Jesus." I have a close family member who is gay. While I don't necessarily promote her lifestyle, for a number of reasons, religious and otherwise, I love her. I attended the commitment ceremony she and her partner had. Many of my family did not, citing the advice and/or dogma given by ecclesiastical leaders. The issue in not what is "right" or "wrong" in the eyes of society. The point is that the world is diverse and that these issues only serve to divide us as human beings. Today, another former NBA player, Tim Hardaway, commented on Amaechi's revelation. "I hate gay people…it [homosexuality] shouldn't be in the world," Hardaway said in a radio interview. These comments are shocking for several reasons. First, athletes usually show much more decorum in interviews, to the point that interviews are often robotic. Hardaway made mildly offensive remarks first, then was asked by the interviewer, Dan Le Batard, if he wanted to clarify his homophobic sounding remarks. Typically you would have expected Hardaway at that point to say something like, "no that's not what I meant" or "I'd rather not say anything else," thus preventing further damage. But Hardaway went on to drop the "hate" bombshell and made the situation much worse. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, Hardaway is black. He played at the University of Texas-El Paso which was once known as Texas Western, the school made famous in the movie Glory Road. How can a black man, who has conceivably faced hatred and bigotry, or certainly has roots thereto, who attended the school that was the first to have an all-black lineup in an all-white world and who faced terrible bigotry, make such hateful remarks? What would Hardaway say if someone said "I hate black people, I don't think they have a place in the world"? The debate will rage on about whether or not homosexuality is a choice. Again, to me the issue isn't the science or theology involved. The issue is respect for your fellow man. Hardaway can hate people if he wants, but by saying what he said, and in no uncertain terms, he has put on gasoline boots for a stroll through hell. Maybe you do not like or condone homosexuality. Maybe you do or are gay yourself. Maybe you're a devout [xyz religion] and you cannot bring yourself to accept such sinful behavior. It does not matter. Surely any religion claiming such profound doctrine must also teach love, right? Again, I cannot fathom a minority saying he hates a member of a particular group. Don't get me wrong, you probably won't find me marching at a gay rights parade or fighting the cause tooth and nail. I find many gay people annoying, just like I find many straight people annoying. I think the idea of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is extremely pretentious. I do not have a rainbow bumper sticker. But the comments that Tim Hardaway made were completely offensive to me, just as I would be offended by a KKK meeting or satanic literature or the movie title and pervasive stereoptype White Men Can't Jump (a whole issue unto itself.) For every step we as society take forward, it sees we still take two steps back.
Quote of the Week:
"Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority,
it is time to pause and reflect."
-- Mark Twain
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