Brendon Ayanbadejo
NFL players are coming out in support of GLBT equality.
In April of this year Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo announced his support of same sex marriage. He wrote a piece for The Huffington Post, in which he states that "We are a secular capitalistic democracy."
He follows with:
If Britney Spears can party it up in Vegas with one of her boys and go get married on a whim and annul her marriage the next day, why can't a loving same sex couple tie the knot? How could our society grant more rights to a heterosexual one night stand wedding in Vegas than a gay couple that has been together for 3, 5, 10 years of true love? The divorce rate in America is currently 50%. I am willing to bet that same sex marriages have a higher success rate than heterosexual marriages.
Maybe I am a man ahead of my time. However, looking at the former restrictions on human rights in our country starting with slavery, women not being able to vote, blacks being counted as two thirds of a human, segregation, no gays in the military (to list a few) all have gone by the wayside. But now here in 2009 same sex marriages are prohibited. I think we will look back in 10, 20, 30 years and be amazed that gays and lesbians did not have the same rights as every one else. How did this ever happen in the land of the free and the home of the brave? Are we really free?
This week Saints linebacker Scott Fujita endorsed the National Equality March. He was interviewed by David Zirin for the Huffington Post.
Fujita became aware of GLBT inequality when an attempt to restrict adoption in Arkansas was in the news. Fujita is adopted and could not understand how people could put their concern about someone's sexual orientation over the need for finding safe homes for children.
As an adopted child, that measure really bothered me. It just boggles my mind because good, loving homes for any child are the most important thing.
Scott Fujita
He also spoke about homophobia in the locker room
You know people do call it homophobia, and even that term alone is interesting to me. Because I don't even know how they call it homophobia, because that's a fear of the same. It's more heterophobia. It's a fear of something different from yourself. Is there still some of that in the locker room? Absolutely. People tell me, hey, that's pretty courageous. You come out in favor of gay rights. I don't think it's that courageous. I think I have an opinion, that I wish was shared by everybody, but I honestly believe that it's shared by more [football players] than we know because a lot of people just won't speak out about it...Just because I'm in favor of gay rights doesn't mean that I'm gay or doesn't mean I'm some kind of "sissy" or something. That's the language that you hear in locker rooms. I know these guys well. I know for the most part, guys are a lot more tolerant than they get credit for but they're not comfortable yet speaking out about it. It's going to come in time. By in large, it's an opinion that's shared by more people than are realized. I just wish it was shared by everybody.
There is no doubt that there are gay players in the NFL. Jim Buzinski wrote a story for the Washington Post about the subject in June of this year.
Let's establish one thing - there are gay players in the NFL. How many is anybody's guess. There are about 1,700 NFL players. If we take the standard metric of gays making up 10% of the population, that would equal 170 players. Even taking an extremely low 1%, that would give us 17 gay players. Imagine if 17 NFL players came out tomorrow - it would be the biggest sports story of the past decade.
Buzinski also reviewed a book, Bloody Sundays, in which an active NFL player speaks using a pseudonym about being being gay and closeted in the league, including an affair with another NFL player on another team.
Esera Tuaolo played for the Packers, Vikings, Jaguars, Falcons and Panthers and came out in 2002 after retiring. Here he speaks about his 35 years of hiding, of depression and suicide attempts and more at Nichols College.
Other former gay NFL players to come out are Dave Kopay and Roy Simmons. It's only a matter of time before an active gay NFL player comes out, either by accident or on purpose.
Comments
I hate GAYS and lesbian, I wish all of them would die, the world would be a better place without those nasty people. I will teach my son and daughter to never to be a gay and to hate those nasty creatures... No gay marriage...no gays adopting children .... Hate gays for life...it's just a tradition in my family, I learned it from my family growing up, so I will keep the tradition going..... LGBT PEOPLE YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO MANKIND.......
To the above poster (Hate gays and lesbian):
I hope your son and daughter both come out to you as gay, and you truly learn what love and acceptance are. No one is less of a human than another, and hatred isn't the way. Open your mind, and open your heart, and you might find more satisfaction out of your life than you currently do.
Sarah V.
This hater is the type of person we need protection from, thus the need for a vigil such as the one taking place Sunday, Feb 21 in Montgomery. Details on todays article.
@ hate : Further proof hate is a learned action. What a great family to grow up in *rolls eyes* Honestly, the world would be a better place if all of the disgraceful, ignorant people died....so get going.
there is not enough science education of what causes gay.im not gay but ive had 2 gay male friends that i know of.i study everything,im knowledge seeker.both my friends who are gay was molested as children.ive read that scientific studys of known gay men,that their sexual lobe in their brains are much smaller in about 90pct of gays.its a mutation i believe sometimes caused by molestation,or other tragic experences.some scientist believe believe the other 10 pct is just by choice for whatever reason.im christian and even though i love my friends i dont believe in gay marriage.it is a principality that is a evil.principalitys are angels and demons.this evil principality is the spirit of confusion.both my friends are mad at god for them being gay.i love everyone,thats my job as a christian.just because i love u doesnt mean i have to like what u do.everyone sins in different ways.everyone shoud treat everyone well.we all are guilty of different sins and we are all guilty of judging each ot
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