Slog
News & ArtsMonday, September 10, 2012
Sports / LGBTQITSLFA When You've Lost Pro Athletes
Posted by Dan Savage on Mon, Sep 10, 2012 at 7:37 AM
Neil Steinberg on Chris Kluwe:
I don’t want to spend the whole column quoting Kluwe, but he asks Burns a question that should be put to all fearful haters who believe a few lines in their particular faith’s special book will excuse their loathsome bias forever: “Why do you hate freedom? Why do you hate the fact that other people want a chance to live their lives and be happy, even though they may believe in something different than you, or act different than you?”
Now other NFL players are also speaking out. Which should remind the bigots-hiding-behind-Bibles that when you’ve lost pro athletes, you’ve lost. Freedom is a one-way street. Blacks don’t contemplate a return to slavery. Women don’t agonize whether getting the vote was a good or bad thing. Having fought their way out of the closet and tasted the joys of daily life, unafraid and unashamed, gay people are never going back. That’s just a fact. You can be among those who helped, or you can be a stumbling block, but the end result will be the same. Me, I went online and joined the Chris Kluwe Fan Club.
4
1
Cut Danny some slack.
It's a weird name.
And its not like it was right there,
spelled correctly,
in the first line of the posted article or anything.....
Cut Danny some slack.
It's a weird name.
And its not like it was right there,
spelled correctly,
in the first line of the posted article or anything.....
5
I'd believe what an athlete says before I'd believe anything a money grubbing hypocrite preacher says.
6
Maybe Danny could enlist some Pro-Athletes(sic) to do public service ads aimed at kids touting the joys of condom-less anal and oral sex.
7
Maybe Danny could team up with Nike and come out with a line of sportswear aimed at junior high kids.
tagline:
"Fuck condoms-
If It Feels Good
JUST DO IT!"
tagline:
"Fuck condoms-
If It Feels Good
JUST DO IT!"
8
I sincerely hope that, having come this far, we never go back. It's not absolutely certain, though.
LGBT people felt strong enough to march for their equal rights in Germany just before Hitler came to power, and were shipped off to concentration camps shortly afterwards. And who would ever have thought that availability of contraception - CONTRACEPTION - would be a matter for debate in a developed nation in 2012?
Uncertain economic times seem to lead to a resurgence of right-wing rhetoric and affiliation, as people try to cling to what is certain and look for scapegoats. Common-sense goes out the window and only fear remains.
LGBT people felt strong enough to march for their equal rights in Germany just before Hitler came to power, and were shipped off to concentration camps shortly afterwards. And who would ever have thought that availability of contraception - CONTRACEPTION - would be a matter for debate in a developed nation in 2012?
Uncertain economic times seem to lead to a resurgence of right-wing rhetoric and affiliation, as people try to cling to what is certain and look for scapegoats. Common-sense goes out the window and only fear remains.
9
This is significant because Kluwe was pretty much the last holdout in professional sports.
Every other Pro-Athlete(sic) has already come out in favor of The Gay.
When the long-haired punters go then you know it is When You've Lost Pro-Athletes.....
Every other Pro-Athlete(sic) has already come out in favor of The Gay.
When the long-haired punters go then you know it is When You've Lost Pro-Athletes.....
12
It's really a shame there's nobody on the thread here who's willing to provide an argument for the opposition. Someone to offer a counterpoint.
13
Wow, that got the trolls out in full force this morning. You've touched a nerve, Dan -- these Neanderthals really believed that all football players were as unevolved as they. Truth hurts your giant sloped foreheads, doesn't it, boys?
14
now Danny,
if you are going to remove the hyphen
you might as well correct the spelling as well.....
if you are going to remove the hyphen
you might as well correct the spelling as well.....
22
When those that stand up for Civil Equality are those that often influence young people, the bigots and those that function as instruments of hate begin to grasp at straws of irrationality to keep their sinking arguments afloat. They DEMAND punishment, not correction in their hateful views or equality of all citizens under the law. They cry that children will be harmed if pro-athletes come out of the closet and live as equals to the Hetero-folk players. Kluwe has stated the truth of Civil equality. Haters, bigots, and those that think "the other" is always a threat find his speaking truth to be untenable.
23
22
What you meant to say was that they point out that children will be harmed if they follow Danny's advice to practice condom-less anal and oral and "GAY SEX" as means of birth control.
What you meant to say was that they point out that children will be harmed if they follow Danny's advice to practice condom-less anal and oral and "GAY SEX" as means of birth control.
25
Oh mr troll, why do you hate freedom? Is it because no lady wants to touch you with a 10 foot barge pole?
26
I've hung out with my fair share of jocks. Boxing gyms and kickboxing gyms mostly. Typically not your most enlightened group.
And I've witnessed over the last decade a remarkable shift in culture. From overt homophobia to "not giving a shit" to supporting openly gay fighters. I heard my old gym had guys wearing pink trunks in support of a gay fighter not so long ago.
I predict within five years you will have an openly gay UFC champ (trust me MANY of those guys are gay). And that my friends will be that.
My brother (a red-neck retired Army and Parol officer) just attended an a gay wedding of active duty Army officers. He was part of the saber arch for the couple as they exited the church. Ten years ago he couldn't even contemplate such a thing.
The culture war is over. The assholes lost.
And I've witnessed over the last decade a remarkable shift in culture. From overt homophobia to "not giving a shit" to supporting openly gay fighters. I heard my old gym had guys wearing pink trunks in support of a gay fighter not so long ago.
I predict within five years you will have an openly gay UFC champ (trust me MANY of those guys are gay). And that my friends will be that.
My brother (a red-neck retired Army and Parol officer) just attended an a gay wedding of active duty Army officers. He was part of the saber arch for the couple as they exited the church. Ten years ago he couldn't even contemplate such a thing.
The culture war is over. The assholes lost.
28
2012 is a huge turning point. Even a few years ago, I never would have believed we'd have a President supporting marriage equality.
29
It's really hard to maintain stereotypes of GLBT people, when every GLBT person one knows doesn't seem to fit them. Too many folks know too many queers that are just like themselves to continue with the old tired crap from the days we were all in the closet.
My paranoia would like to agree with @8 above, but we are not in Hitler's Germany (yet!), despite what the fundies may want. Even the nay-sayers at the Pentagon have had to admit that DADT's repeal has had zero discernable effect on the military.
My paranoia would like to agree with @8 above, but we are not in Hitler's Germany (yet!), despite what the fundies may want. Even the nay-sayers at the Pentagon have had to admit that DADT's repeal has had zero discernable effect on the military.
30
@27 A few. They have the mullets.
Years back I trained at gym where the one super homophobic coach would go on about how he didn't want to know if anybody was a fag in his gym because then he couldn't help picturing them kissing him. He found that too... distracting.
Also, according to him, no fighter could ever be gay or liberal because that would be like being a woman, who were also a distraction and too soft so he never dated them. He would also go on about how he'd like to roll with various hunky male celebrities to "check their oil."
Uhhhhh... Coach?
He lives with his boy friend now.
Years back I trained at gym where the one super homophobic coach would go on about how he didn't want to know if anybody was a fag in his gym because then he couldn't help picturing them kissing him. He found that too... distracting.
Also, according to him, no fighter could ever be gay or liberal because that would be like being a woman, who were also a distraction and too soft so he never dated them. He would also go on about how he'd like to roll with various hunky male celebrities to "check their oil."
Uhhhhh... Coach?
He lives with his boy friend now.
31
Okay, as part of my therapy regarding my Sybil problem, which I'm told will contain unfortunate, and irretrievably, obnoxiously immature relapses (see posts 2, 3, 4, 6 AND 7, et al), I am to confess to at least one uncomfortable truth per day ...
Today's being: I am obssessed with Dan Savage to a disturbingly unhealthy degree ...
to, in fact, near-hallucinatory, superweird, pulling-it-entirely-out-of-my-ass levels ...
Today's being: I am obssessed with Dan Savage to a disturbingly unhealthy degree ...
to, in fact, near-hallucinatory, superweird, pulling-it-entirely-out-of-my-ass levels ...
34
31-33
don't come dragging your ass in this afternoon
all Jonny-cum-late trying to be cute.
if you can't show up when the postings going on then just don't bother.
don't come dragging your ass in this afternoon
all Jonny-cum-late trying to be cute.
if you can't show up when the postings going on then just don't bother.
35
That letter was so awesome, I want to needlepoint it and put it in my house where the Christian folk normally put the Lord's Prayer.
36
I'm super happy that Kluwe stepped up to defend marriage AND Ayanbadejo. However, I feel like Ayanbadejo initial heroic support of gay rights is getting lost in the drama of Kluwe.
The take home of the story is that adorable white football player curses out mean black politician by schooling him on the constitution. White football player saves they day!!!!
Somehow Ayanbadejo got pushed out of the story...
The take home of the story is that adorable white football player curses out mean black politician by schooling him on the constitution. White football player saves they day!!!!
Somehow Ayanbadejo got pushed out of the story...
37
I see your point @36, but I think Kluwe's colorful statement of solidarity amplified the message. It helped make the situation more than a local Maryland story by drawing attention to other NFL players who have made PSAs for marriage equality.
I support anyone exuberantly piling on to support marriage equality and freedom of speech.
I support anyone exuberantly piling on to support marriage equality and freedom of speech.
38
@3 and 4
If you're going to criticize Dan for misspelling Kluwe's name, you might also want to know that you confused the word conscience and conscious.
I believe you intended to say something about whether or not athletes "have long been the moral conscience of the Civilization." Instead you said "moral conscious."
As an English professor, I find an occasional typo or misspelling a lot easier to excuse than not knowing the difference between two distinctly separate words, like conscious and conscience.
Get a dictionary. And use it.
If you're going to criticize Dan for misspelling Kluwe's name, you might also want to know that you confused the word conscience and conscious.
I believe you intended to say something about whether or not athletes "have long been the moral conscience of the Civilization." Instead you said "moral conscious."
As an English professor, I find an occasional typo or misspelling a lot easier to excuse than not knowing the difference between two distinctly separate words, like conscious and conscience.
Get a dictionary. And use it.
39
Anonymous, if you're going to be a spelling and grammar troll, maybe your own posts shouldn't be such a train wreck.
41
39
be careful, Bob.
41% of the homos in Baltimore have HIV.
(has your hand been HIV tested? you can't be too careful...)
be careful, Bob.
41% of the homos in Baltimore have HIV.
(has your hand been HIV tested? you can't be too careful...)
43
What is funny is that the Republicans keep trying to use these sorts of things (marriage equality, gays in the military, etc.) as wedge issues in elections. This has worked, sometimes, but the problem is that once people start _talking_ about the issue it tends to drive the national consensus in the exact opposite direction they want it to go.
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
It's Spring! Who's Ready for Street Harassment? by Cienna Madrid
-
New Gun Enthusiast... by Dan Savage
-
SL Letter of the Day: Gonna Boil My Laptop After Answering This One by Dan Savage
-
America Doesn't Care About Black People by Charles Mudede
-
Bigot Florist Files Countersuit by Dominic Holden
-
Slog Super Poll: Who Should Be Mayor? by Dominic Holden
-
Tim Burgess Quits the Mayor's Race by Dominic Holden
-
Meanwhile in Toronto by Dan Savage
-
In Which I Do Not Declare My Candidacy for Seattle City Council by Goldy
-
Slog Overnight by Dan Savage
Stranger Personals
The Stranger
RSSSeattle Art & Performance Quarterly
A complete guide to Seattle's current art, film, dance, and theater season.
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (43) RSS