Blogs Aug 23, 2011 at 8:02 am

Comments

1
Excellent! George Takei got to him!
2
That first quote got us a hilarious Takei response, though!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s1iQODC5…
3
The Amaechi quote was great: "I hope this is a story of true redemption rather than a savvy p.r. ploy. Either way, he is at least saying the right words, and that will make a positive difference."
4
My adoration of George Takei has just gone up another 5 points. *swoon*
5
It gets better. Bullies get better.
6
El Paso is a lovely city, let's hope they get over this little hitch.
7
@2 That was fawesome!

8
Excellent!

Can we get his family and friends to talk t all the bigots out there? They seem to be good at it!
9
He seems to have gotten over his homophobia! I wonder what the story is behind that, it would be nice for him to tell it.
10
@9

I wouldn't mind hearing the story, either, but my guess is that the criticism from friends and family forced him to think of gays as human beings, and then that probably led to him meeting a few openly gay folks and finding that they're not the stereotypes he thought they were.
11
I can't help but wonder what's behind the change of heart, if it's just some sort of political machination.

I guess it's irrelevant, though. Regardless of the reason, he's on our side.
12
I saw the headline of this post and though he "switched" teams.... But this is good news, too!
13
Even a savvy PR ploy is a step forward from straight up hatred. Yay, for less hatred even if we don't know if we are getting more sincerity.
14
@11

Yeah, exactly. It's sweet that you guys are getting all teary-eyed over this but it sounds like dude just got himself a good PR guy because he got himself into trouble before.

@13

Uh, I guess it's a "step up" but I wouldn't be surprised if he's still calling people faggots, etc, but just being careful who he says it to, this time. Doesn't exactly make him a 'changed man.' It's more a reflection of how pop culture in the U.S. right now is very pro-gay so the peer pressure is on to tow the line.
15
@14 This is a step up because it's no longer acceptable to be seen as a homophobic bigot. Even for powerful people. Even for hetero manly men. Even for a rich, Olympic-level, pro-athlete.

Also, even if he is not yet sincere, he will not become more so by having a bunch of people that he's reaching out to bitch slap him for the position he used to hold. Hopefully he is learning from and correcting his mistake; I will choose to be positive about that, rather than condemn him because that mistake was made. There are worse things than graciously accepting an attempt to do the right thing.
16
@15 Thank you! A persons sincerity is not for me or others to judge, but their actions are. The man stood up and spoke, and Yay for him, and Yay for us.

He may be still questioning, he may be unsure, but he stood up and spoke. That means a lot.
17
The NBA has a pretty homophobic culture, which seems at least in part due to the following:

1) The constant trash-talking on court. Players are always calling each other "faggot" or "cocksucker" or the like, which I suspect has less to do with genuine bigotry than with the fact that they're trying to mentally rattle their opponents, and that's an effective way to do it. Doesn't make it right, of course, but it's more about tactics than hatred. (At least at first ... but repeat a lie enough times and you'll probably start to believe it.)

2) Many (though by no means all, or even most*) NBA pros grew up in some high-crime areas and are more likely than most folks to have friends or relatives who have been through the prison system. And in that system, homosexuality is not associated with consensual romantic love and support, but rather interpersonal power, terror, and dominance. In other words, pretty much the same things they're trying to accomplish vis-a-vis their opponents on court.

[* Most of the big media-friendly NBA stars of recent decades - Jordan, Shaq, Kobe, etc. - grew up in middle-class environments]

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