Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke stood on the steps of Toronto’s City Hall and called for an end to homophobia Tuesday, The Sun reports. “Imagine being afraid to go to school, imagine being afraid to step on a school bus, imagine being afraid to walk the halls,”
Burke said during a press conference held to mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. “That’s a life that no child should lead and that’s the life that many children lead in Ontario.”
Burke’s son, Brendan, made headlines in the hockey world when he declared publicly that he was gay, and before Brendan died tragically in a car crash in February, 2010, he fought for tolerance in professional sports. Tuesday, Burke called on everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, to help make society more accepting. “Let’s make the fear in this society for this community go away forever,”
he said. With the help of several city councillors, representatives of the group Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) raised the Pride flag outside City Hall. In memory of Brendan, Burke marched with PFLAG in Toronto’s Pride parade last year. He plans to wear his Leafs’ jersey in this year’s parade on July 3rd. Burke lamented that only one television camera turned out for Tuesday’s press conference, and condemned the lack of interest. “One camera here folks, we’ve got a long way to go, shame on the people that didn’t show up to publicize this, shame on you,”
Burke said.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo has been vocal about his support of gay rights and same sex marriage in Maryland, filming a video for Equality Maryland and speaking about the subject on ESPN. Now, reports The Baltimore Sun, another Ravens player has gone public with his support, taking to Twitter, naturally. Apparently a response to the news that CNN anchor Don Lemon has come out, Ravens wide receiver and soon-to-be free agent Donte’ Stallworth called opponents of gay rights “hypocrites,” although he misspelled the word. “Sad that people are ridiculed for their sexual orientation in this age... and leave religion out of this, God loves ALL!!! #hyporcrites,” Stallworth Tweeted on Tuesday. “These politicians that use religion to deter gay marriage are same ones doing dirty under the table ish & war mongering #WheresYourReligion.” Stallworth then quoted comedienne Wanda Sykes and sent words of encouragement to Lemon.
The Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence is calling on Rhode Island lawmakers to reject a proposal to allow gay and lesbian couples to enter into civil unions, The Boston Globe reporting that Bishop Thomas J. Tobin released a statement Wednesday saying that civil unions are objectionable because they are a gateway to gay marriage. The diocese had urged lawmakers to oppose earlier legislation that would have recognized gay marriages. The civil union bill was introduced as a compromise, and would give gay couples all the state rights given to married couples under Rhode Island law. The House is scheduled to vote on the measure Thursday. Tobin says the civil union proposal challenges traditional moral values and is discriminatory since civil unions would only be available to gay couples
