As any gay person will tell you, it is not their choice they are gay. Almost every gay person has tried not to be gay and it hasn’t worked, we just like other guys. However, due to society’s stance on gay people most gay people are afraid to come out.
There have been many times I considered suicide because I was gay. I want to be able to be myself and be gay, but am afraid I will lose the support of my parents and the support of all of my friends. Therefore I continue to be in the closet. Over the last 3 months I did become good friends with a gay person and we have talked, but I am still not ready to come out.
Over the past two days the topic of coming out has been forced to the forefront as a former NBA player revealed he was gay. In response to this, the sensationalist media began asking every former NBA player they could find who would talk how they felt about this.
Well Tim Hardaway did, and he was honest. He said he hates gay people and wouldn’t want to be around one, yet no gay person will make an advance on you unless we think you are gay. Being talked down to and disrespected either directly or indirectly our entire life we try and respect people’s feelings. Tim Hardaway continued to admit to being a bigot and a homophobe announcing that he doesn’t think gay people should be on this planet. Again, I respect Tim Hardaway’s position no matter how much I disagree with it, I just want to point out that it is attitudes like these that many many people quietly have that makes it so hard for our young people to grow up being gay.
These attitudes increase suicides, they increase depression, they increase hate crimes. I respect how Stern and the NBA have responded removing Tim Hardaway from any official positions representing the league. I applaud them for taking swift and decisive action saying these are not the attitudes we want associated with this organization.
All of this has led me to bring up this question, a question that I have seen posed in the past:
If your kid was gay, would you love him any less?
Answer this question before the next time you decide you hate gays. Answer this question before you put down a gay. Answer this question before you decide homosexual couples should not have the right to receive the same tax benefits as married couples.