Turn of Phrase - The NFL Finally Comes Out

Kluwe, Ayanbadejo, and Burns

"I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won’t come into your house and steal your children. They won’t magically turn you into a lustful c*ckmonster.

They won’t overthrow the government in an orgy of hedonistic debauchery because all of a sudden they have the same legal rights as the other 90 percent of our population—rights like Social Security benefits, child care tax credits, Family and Medical Leave to take care of loved ones, and COBRA healthcare for spouses and children.

You know what having these rights will make gays? Full-fledged American citizens just like everyone else..."

- From Chris Kluwe, punter for the Minnesota Vikings, in a letter he wrote to Maryland state delegate Emmett Burns, after Burns recommended the coercion and censoring of pro-LGBT Baltimore Ravens player Brendon Ayanbadejo.

Although the full story has been widely reported and Kluwe's letter has gone insanely viral online, it warrants additional discussion here nonetheless. 

For those of you who missed it somehow, here's the play in three acts. 

1. Baltimore Ravens player Brendon Ayanbadejo is a strong and vocal supporter of a November ballot initiative in the state of Maryland that would recognize same-sex marriage. 
2. A Baltimore County delegate, Emmett Burns Jr., is mortified by Ayanbadejo's public support of the measure. Burns sent a letter to the Ravens owner expressing his displeasure with Ayanbadejo and insisting the player be pressured to "cease and desist such injurious actions." 
3. Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, also an advocate for same-sex marriage, delivered a public and verbally brutal beatdown to Burns, in his very direct and powerful open letter. 

The online reaction to Kluwe's letter has been overwhelmingly positive, and LGBT rights groups are understandably thrilled to have both Ayanbadejo and Kluwe weigh-in so forcefully in favor of marriage equality.

The significance of the actions of these bold NFL players cannot be understated.

Making Sense of the Chick-Fil-A Debacle

Call me naïve, but I don't believe the vast majority of people who work for or dine at Chick-Fil-A restaurants actually hate gays and lesbians.

I would argue instead that most members of the right-wing crowd, particularly those who rushed in this week to eat a deep-fried chicken sandwich in support of Chick-Fil-A and traditional marriage, simply don’t understand gayness. And maybe, they even fear it.

Many “family values” supporters earnestly believe that the normalization of gayness in our society somehow threatens their way of life, and so those individuals see their motivation in supporting Chick-Fil-A as protection, not hate. 

A natural by-product of these conservative efforts to defend Judeo-Christian values from perceived attack is the necessary discrimination between hetero and homosexuality. If conservatives believe their biblical interpretation of family values and marriage is right, then any other way must be “wrong.” And who doesn’t like to stand up for what they believe is right?

This is where the problem begins. What is the real value in standing up for religion when doing so genuinely damages other human beings? How does it further the cause of Christ, or even the cause of humanity, when our actions harm others?

I am a grown gay man who has been out to my family and friends for more than two decades. At nearly fifty years old, I know who I am and what my life is worth. But there are many, many gay people who are younger than me, still coming-of-age, still learning about life, still so very impressionable – because they are children. These people, these kids, are the ones who pay the price for the “Godly values” espoused by others, and in far too many instances they pay with their lives.

As a mature fairly self-actualized gay man, whether or not Chick-Fil-A customers believe I am an equal and worthwhile human being has little impact on my emotional well being.

For vulnerable young gay people though, this isn’t so.

Young women and men who grow up confused and frightened by who they are, find the world around them offering not a helping hand, but a punch in the stomach. Young people who live in the shadows, whose very existence brims with doubt, are offered not the light of Christianity, but the dark aloneness of dismissal and rejection. Young people who search, yearn, and beg for understanding, suffer instead the destructive sting of judgment. Young men and women, and sometimes boys and girls, are told by their families and their churches – you are not the same, you are not enough, you are not right.

I don't believe it is the intent of my Christian friends to do devastating emotional injury to children. I know that they are simply working to preserve the way of life that they hold dear and striving to defend their biblical values. Nonetheless, the reactionary public outcry in favor of Chick-Fil-A (and against gay marriage) ultimately reinforces the feelings of isolation and worthlessness that afflict fragile young gay people.

Risking Their Lives for Gay Pride In Uganda

Ugandan LGBT activists

Being gay is a criminal offense in Uganda, and if the Anti-Homosexuality Bill proposed by politician David Bahati passes the Ugandan parliament, then gays would face life in prison for homosexual activity, and the death penalty for acts of "aggravated homosexuality.

The international human rights community has exerted enormous pressure on Uganda in opposition to Bahati's bill, which has languished in parliament since 2009.

Nonetheless, being gay in Uganda, or being supportive of gays and lesbians, continues to be incredibly dangerous and even life-threatening.

In light of the immense anti-gay hostility in Uganda, this is the last place on earth one would expect to find a gay pride celebration, and yet last weekend, it happened.

About two hundred brave Ugandans, gay and gay-friendly, gathered to affirm their LGBT identities and celebrate life. The Pride festivities, which included film screenings and a parade, went off as planned for the most part, though police did raid one gathering to make a few arrests, take names and statements from attendees, and intimidate the crowd.

A few images from the Ugandan LGBT pride parade are included below (photos: David Robinson c/o Advocate). You can learn more about LGBT rights in Uganda in a short BBC documentary linked here (part one) and here (part two).

Facing risks of ridicule, arrest, and personal safety, LGBT Ugandans marched proudly. This is what real bravery looks like.

Turn Style - Female Saudi Olympians Debut

For the first time in modern history, Saudi Arabia has allowed women to represent their nation at the Olympic Games.

Sarah Attar ran the 800 meter race in track and field, and Wojdan Shaherkani represented the Saudi kingdom in women's judo competition.

The 19 year-old Attar, who ran her race completely clad from head to toe, finished last, but received a standing ovation as she crossed the finish line.

Photo: Daniel Ocho De Olza / AP

Shaherkani, who is just 16 years old, only lasted 82 seconds in her judo match, but she proudly made history, nonetheless. 

Photo: Chang W. Lee / New York Times

Reflecting on the praiseworthy accomplishments of these two women stirs up contradictory emotions. It is gratifying to see that a nation as fundamentalist as Saudi Arabia is at least beginning to move in the direction of women's rights, but it is simultaneously horrifying to imagine a place where half the human population still lacks the right to vote or even drive a car.

Imagine living in a land where religious traditionalists can deny even the most basic of human rights to a particular sect of the population, simply because of who they were born to be? Which reminds me, anyone visited Chick-Fil-A lately?

Turn of Phrase - Obama Disappoints Gay Supporters

"We are extremely disappointed with this decision. The unfortunate truth is that hard-working Americans can be fired simply for being gay or transgender."

- From Joe Solmonese, president of the advocacy group Human Rights Campaign. 

Solmonese was reacting to today's White House announcement that President Obama will not sign an executive order banning LGBT discrimination by employers with federal contracts. 

Some state and local municipalities, and some private sector companies and organizations, have enacted LGBT anti-discrimination requirements and policies, but with the exception of the recent repeal of Dont Ask Don't Tell, the federal government has not. This leaves gay and lesbian workers in most places completely vulnerable to discriminatory employment practices, including termination.

The Obama administration continues to proclaim its support for ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act), a congressional bill that would "prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by civilian, nonreligious employers with at least 15 employees." Unfortunately, that support has yielded nothing, as ENDA has never had enough support to pass both houses of Congress since it was first proposed in 1994.

The President's unwillingness to sign the anti-discrimination executive order, like his failure to stand up in favor of same-sex marriage, is disappointing, though not surprising. In the United States, lawmakers and politicians often do the right thing, only after the winds of change have generated a substantial enough cultural groundswell for them to safely ride through the next election. 

Maybe in his second term when the pressures of re-election have waned, President Obama will be a courageous leader on the issue of gay rights, rather than relinquish himself to the role of ardent supporter.

Rick Perry Believes Not Being Executed Is a "Special Right"

President Obama has boldly announced that the United States will incorporate the promotion of basic human rights for gay and lesbian citizens around the world into American diplomatic interactions with other countries.

The President issued a memorandum in tandem with a speech delivered by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, wherein the administration vowed to work to decriminalize homosexuality and to challenge nations where abuses against gays and lesbians are flagrant.

In countries like Saudi Arabia and Uganda, being gay is a criminal act that is punishable by flogging and potentially even death. In many other countries, egregious harassment and beating of gays and lesbians is common and perpetrators go unpunished. While the President stopped short of directly connecting diplomatic aid to fair and equal treatment of gays and lesbians in foreign countries, the initiative is an important step forward in supporting fundamental human rights for homosexual people around the world.

And then, there's Governor Rick Perry.

On his website Perry makes a bold and stupid proclamation in response to the President's new human rights initiative.

"Promoting special rights for gays in foreign countries is not in America's interests and not worth a dime of taxpayers' money."

No one is asking for "special rights" here, unless you consider not being arrested, beaten, and murdered as special rights that gays somehow don't deserve. Obama is simply saying don't torture and execute someone because of their sexual orientation.

Perry also maintains on his campaign site that Obama is "out of touch" with American values. The last time I looked there was no principle held in greater esteem in this country than that of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." If Rick Perry thinks asking other nations to honor this fundamental tenet of democracy by not subjecting innocent civilians to torture and murder is somehow out of step with mainstream American values, he is not just narrow-minded but bigotedly and cruelly so.