No Place for Johnson’s Anti-Gay Slurs

From ESPN.com:

Several weeks ago, NFL player Larry Johnson ignited controversy when he used anti-gay slurs to address reporters and on the social-networking Web site, Twitter. As a professional athlete, Johnson’s role is not only to gain yards, but also to serve as a role model to millions of young people. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) immediately placed calls to the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs to assist in educating fans about why these words are hurtful and should not be used. GLAAD also called on the NFL to both condemn and take disciplinary action on this and future uses of anti-gay epithets. I believe the huge media attention around this call led to the subsequent apology and disciplinary action.

Johnson publically apologized and sent an important message: that there is no excuse for using anti-gay epithets. The Chiefs chose to suspend Johnson, and this weekend he will begin play as a Cincinnati Bengal. We will see if he takes this opportunity to educate fans in his new city that words matter and anti-gay words have no place in the game.

The NFL, however, has not responded to our concerns about this unacceptable trend, though GLAAD continues to request meetings with them and will continue to demand action after anti-gay defamation. I hope the league moves beyond individual suspensions and instead enacts zero-tolerance policies that start to address the danger of homophobia in sports. When these slurs are used by professional athletes, it trickles down to local and amateur sports teams and even children’s teams. It gives license to youths to bully their peers and for feeding a climate of intolerance toward our community. Despite experiencing full legal equality with my husband in Massachusetts, our son was still bullied and called anti-gay taunts on the baseball diamond after two teammates learned he had two dads.

More here!