Former NBA Star Tim Hardaway: "I Hate Gay People"
Reacting to former NBA player John Amaechi's recent coming out of the closet, former NBA Miami Heat player Tim Hardaway told a sports radio host today that he unequivocally hates gay people, that they shouldn't be in the world. Hardaway made the comments in an interview with Dan Le Batard of 790 the Ticket when asked about how he would deal with someone like Amaechi on his team:
"First of all I wouldn't want him on my team. Second of all, if he was on my team I would really distance myself from him because I don't think that's right and I don't think he should be in the locker room while we're in the locker room."
After Le Batard pointed out that the former point guard was being "flatly homophobic", Hardaway continued:
"Well, you know, I hate gay people. I let it be known, I don't like gay people. I don't like to be around gay people."
"Yeah, I'm homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world, or in the United States. So, yeah, I don't like it."
The NBA, for whom Hardaway had been making public appearances, immediately removed him from further appearances, saying: "It is inappropriate for him to be representing us given the disparity between his views and ours."
According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Hardaway was listed Tuesday as an "NBA Legend" when the league launched its NBA FIT program at the YMCA of Southern Nevada and had been part of the NBA's Community Caravan leading up to Sunday's All-Star Game in Las Vegas. Hardaway played for the Heat from 1996 to 2001 and remains the franchise's all-time leader in assists. His NBA career began in 1989 and ended in 2003. Amaechi played in the NBA from 1995 to 2003, but never as a Hardaway teammate."
Hardaway's agent had no immediate comment.
UPDATE: Hardaway later apologized for his comments during an interview with Miami's WSVN. Said Hardaway: "Yes, I regret it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said I hate gay people or anything like that," he said. "That was my mistake."
(video) Tim Hardaway comments.
Posted Feb. 15,2007 at 12:15 AM EST by Andy Towle in Basketball, John Amaechi, News, Sports, Tim Hardaway | Permalink
No I haven't forgotten the Charles Barkley quote. I remember it well. I also remember when it was reported on Towleroad, there were comments suggesting that gays fall over themselves to congratulate any straight man for saying kind things even when that man has no power to make things better (i.e. a politician).
So while I am sure it's true that it was not blogged as often as this story will be, when it DOES get reported, some gays shrug and say "So what?" Or worse, they disparage those who applaud said comments because they see it as pandering to the straights.
I'll say what I said then. You GO Charles!
Posted by: mark m | Feb 15, 2007 9:12:41 AM
sorry for the double post. My typepad is having issues.
Posted by: mark m | Feb 15, 2007 9:13:42 AM
Oprah Winfrey has the famous “I loves Harpo, but I’ll kill him dead” scene in the movie The Color Purple. For those who haven’t seen it, Whoopi Goldberg’s character, Celie had been beaten viciously by her husband. When her stepson Harpo complains that he cannot control his wife (Oprah’s character Sophia), he asks Celie if he should beat her. The beaten down Celie agrees that he should beat her. Sophia doesn’t put up with Harpo’s nonsense, and then confronts Celie in cornfield to chastise her for agreeing with the beating.
Human behavior is complicated and things are rarely as cut-and-dried simple as we would like them to be. Some blacks who have faced oppression still go along with oppressing others. Some gays who have face oppression are still quite racist, and refuse to acknowledge this. It really doesn’t help anything to beat each other over the head about what we make up in our heads about what should be and should not be. Whatever is behind Tim Hardaway’s homophobia is probably not that different from what’s behind anyone else’s. It is not a set of beliefs that are chemically tied to melanin in the skin cells. It is wholly inappropriate to lump all blacks together as unimind then make pronouncements about what blacks should and should-not do, or how we should and should-not feel. Nor should anyone be deciding for any other group for that matter. Let’s try to focus on the big picture here. Tim Hardaway is a homophobe. He boldly and proudly identified himself as one using that word to describe himself. The NBA acted swiftly and decisively should be applauded. Now my prayer is that something happens to make him see the error of his ways and change his heart. I am not at all sure what that would be.
Posted by: Buddha Gaydah-Apollo | Feb 15, 2007 9:21:52 AM
Here is my comment I posted on the CBS4 website. The comments I referenced were from the comments of posters on said site regarding the article, so read on, it's very interesting, humorous and alarming...
"Good for Hardaway I say." - Grace, No City
"He's straight and proud of it.....he just told it like it is. Give him credit!!!" - Sheri Stacy, Ohio
"but recognizing homosexual behavior as being the blight on society that it is doesn't make one "afraid of gay people" as the term "homophobia" would imply." - Ned, Indiana
"And if most gays were truthful - they'd tell you they hate straight people and basically mirror Hardaway's statements." - Tim Patrick, Ponchatoula, LA
"right on Tim" - Michael Bayless, No city
"i am also a parent of a boy and a girl and i don't want them around gays, male or female." - Jackie, Miramar
"Finally I would say that yes, some hatred of gays and lesbians is based on prejudice, but more of it has been earned by the gays and lesbians themselves." -- Jason, No City
"Not only is it disgusting behavior, it is unnatural, unhealthy, and irreligious. Unatural because it goes against nature.(No explanation needed on this one) Unhealthy, because homosexuals die 20years sooner than heterosexuals and they have more suicides and homosides." - Steven Tanner, Laguna Beach
"The Gay Live style is against God And it is nasty. I myself Really do not like Gay people life style. It is nasty, nasty, nasty. They should stay in the Closet." - Glasferd Fletcher (straight)
"God intended for Adam & Eve to have, not for Adam and George to have and I believe Hardaway must know his bible too." - Ana Holland, Pompano Beach
"Most people are not afraid of the big bad fa***t!" - Danny O'Dell, Spring Branch
"I know that most gays don't believe in Jesus or the Holy Bible" - Don Eaddy, St. Joseph's, MI
"I'll bet the little f**-puppies were pissing in their pantyhose!...they are sick aberrations of nature: they are fa***ts." - Jim Helvey, St. Petersburg
"It is all flatulence on you and the f**s part. Americans no longer support exclusive f** rights..."Tony Hirsch, Ft Worth, TX
"One very under reported fact is that a lot of people that experience same sex attraction recover or revert back to normal relationships eventually." - Michael Stockman, Indianapolis
"Over the years I have fired four people that have worked for me because I found out that they were gay. Homosexuality is completely and totally UNACCEPTABLE!" -- Tom Retzlaff, San Antonio, Texas
"The idea of Homosexuality is flat out sick... In sex education I was taught that it was Homosexuals who brought about HIV and AIDS." - Chris Reinhold, Minneapolis
"About time someone said it. Right on, TH!" -- Doug Gunn, No Address
"I can't agree more. Good for him." -- Rob Taylor, No Address
"HOORAY FOR TIM HARDAWAY ! He has dared to say what most of us THINK !" -- Marsha, Lake Elsinore, CA
"Good for Tim. I don't like to be around murderers either - and we all know they both make the choice." - Steve Schafer, No Address
"Obviously, gays are in it for one generation, then as a specie they die... Thank you Tim Hardaway." -- No Name, No Address
I want everyone to read those comments, then imagine if you were gay, or your son, or daughter, or brother, or sister... or imagine is they word "gay" was replaced with "black" or "asian". As a psychologist, I can state with 100% certainty that homosexuality is NOT a choice, and more and more research is being conducted on both camps that support homosexuality (or any sexuality) as being genetically inherited. No, AIDS was NOT started by homosexuals, most homosexuals are NOT atheist (in fact, I have seen patients who are gay and very religious, attend church and volunteer in religious organizations). Pedophiles are NOT homosexuals, roughly 95% of pedophiles are HETEROSEXUAL. Ignorance and hate start at home, pick up a book, actually educate yourselves on the FACTS - facts on AIDS, sexuality, tolerance, etc (FYI, it is completely false that most people who have homosexual attraction revert to heterosexuality, some may but only to conform and out of self-loathing, and most of them suffer from depression and suicidal tendencies). At first, I was angry by these remarks, now I am bewildered and saddened by how apparent ignorance and hate are alive and well within the United States. Why do so many people care? Why do so many people make sexuality a personal issue? From my experience, 99.9% of the time, people have personal issues against homosexuality because they ARE gay, a good example would be the Ted Haggart's of the world. As a previous commenter stated, yes, the rest of the world view Americans as ignorant, violent and hate filled. Judging by these ignorant, uneducated and HATEFUL remarks, is it any wonder?
Posted by: Cory | Feb 15, 2007 9:24:19 AM
I, against my better judgment, am going to weigh into this ongoing, ad nauseam debate over the appropriateness of bringing up the race of a person who says or does something homophobic or the sexual orientation of a person who says or does something racist.
The fact of the matter is there are appropriate analogies between the two forms of bigotry and there are reasons to expect MORE from gays and MORE from African Americans when it comes to racism and homophobia.
If everyone would put their flame throwers down for just two seconds, take a deep, calming breath and re-read CROSSOVERMANS comment, really slowly and thoughtfully, especially the first paragraph, he makes the point, about as well as it can be made, as to why so many people take particular exception to Af-Am, and other minority, homophobes. The same could, and often is, said about gay racists.
There are certainly people here and elsewhere who make COMPLETELY inappropriate, racist comments, and inappropriate analogies, in their comments on homophobia, but the overwhelming majority of people here who bring up race do it in a reasonable and thoughtful way; a way that in NO WAY suggest that a particular Af-Am individual’s opinion represents his whole race. Those who attempt to make that erroneous point should be quickly and loudly challenged. However, don’t be so quick to “man the battle stations” and start firing away with flaming arrows at every comment that mentions race.
In my opinion Dave’s comment was perfectly reasonable but he was attacked by people who misrepresented what he said. He was accused of claiming that all black people were homophobes when he did no such thing; in fact he used the term “some people”, which is NOT superlative and NOT race specific.
I think it is perfectly reasonable to expect gays, women, Jews, Blacks, and other traditionally oppressed minorities to be more sensitive to discrimination, oppression and hate. I, personally, am doubly offended by a gay racist; I am doubly offended by a woman anti-Semite; I am double offended by a black homophobe and I am doubly offended by a Cuban person, who came to this country on a legal technicality, who complains about Mexican illegal immigrants. That doesn’t mean that I judge ANY of these groups universally by the bad speech or behavior of individuals and it certainly doesn’t mean that I am a homophobe, misogynist, anti-Semite, racist or anti Cuban immigrant. I just expect those, who come from a tradition of being oppressed and/or those who share similar personal experiences with another minority to be more understanding of, and to be more outspoken against, the bigotry foisted on another minority. I CERTAINLY don’t expect them to support or promote it.
The fact of the matter is there are undeniable similarities between the Af-Am civil rights movement and the struggle for gay rights and it is entirely appropriate to expect that people of different oppressed minorities speak and act as if they are ALLIES and not ENEMIES. Gays should be very active in the ongoing struggle for racial and gender equality and African-Americans should be very active in the struggle for gay rights. If they can’t be active in each other’s respective struggles, they should at least sit on the sidelines with their mouths shut and not supporting the oppressors with words and actions.
Everyone who knows me knows that I don’t tolerate racism, homophobia or any other form of bigotry. I challenge it whenever and where ever I encounter it. Because of this, I become extremely offended when someone accuses me of racism simply because I make an analogy between racism and homophobia. I usually avoid making those analogies, even when I find them entirely appropriate, just to avoid having my words twisted and being drug into a flame war. That is unfortunate and, in my opinion, counterproductive to ALL struggles for equality.
Sorry for the sermon. I just said in 1000 words what CROSSOVERMAN said in a few short paragraphs. Unfortunately, I’m not one for brevity.
I apologize for spelling, typos and grammar mistakes in advance. I’m not taking the time to proofread this whole rant. :)
Posted by: Zeke | Feb 15, 2007 9:25:59 AM
I have never had a fondness for professional athletes, and this moron only helps to bolster my beliefs. These are the role models for our children; let's teach them hatred is okay and an "Oops. My bad." follow up (with rehab) will make all right in the world. It's perfectly fine to teach young males that drugs are good, it's okay to physically abuse women and that higher education is for losers who can't score high enough to be hand picked by the NBA before they even take an SAT.
Posted by: Rad | Feb 15, 2007 9:27:42 AM
I know the media loves stories like this because it's controversial and gets everyone talking and commenting. But it would nice if they would balance it out with the support Amaechi has gotten from NBA players, coaches and owners. Such as those of Toronto Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell, who, when asked about the Toronto Sun about Amaechi, said:
--[h]e finds it sad that people are still shunned because of their sexual orientation. He hopes his players would follow his example by judging people on their words and actions and not on things beyond their control.
"It shouldn't be about tolerance," he said. "It should be about respect. People should treat people as human beings. I wouldn't use the word tolerance. Are people supposed to tolerate me because I'm black? Or are they supposed to treat me with respect because I'm a human being?
"I grew up in an area of this country (Georgia) where people didn't like you because of the color of your skin," he said. "I can't change the colour of my skin any more than someone else can change who or what they are."
http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/Basketball/2007/02/08/3558681-sun.html
Posted by: SGR | Feb 15, 2007 9:28:45 AM
STAND ZEKE, STAND! Well stated! =)
Posted by: Cory | Feb 15, 2007 9:29:43 AM
Why all the hoopla? He said what the majority of people on this planet think and feel. Its going to take educating the public that gays are not freaks of nature, not the shrill responses of the majority of posters here, attacking him for being black and a homophobe isn't going to do anything, since he has said nothing different from Bush and the GOP, but since he's a buffoonish black guy he is fair game to attack with a racial bigotry that gay men seem to use quite a bit on this site all the while saying they are free and clear of that issue.
Posted by: cody | Feb 15, 2007 9:30:33 AM
Oh, and to A DIFFERENT VIEW:
Although your point may have some merit, you should find a better analogy. The one that you used is a complete apples/oranges comparison that makes absolutely no sense.
Posted by: Zeke | Feb 15, 2007 9:32:35 AM
I have a post on my blog about dumasses like this. Their is no way to defend him dipshit this deserves a resignation not all the other shit on sites.
Posted by: sasha | Feb 15, 2007 9:33:23 AM
The "poll" on the Miami CBS station is one of the most hateful things I've seen in a while:
http://cbs4.com/local/local_story_045205258.html
Please let themm know what you think:
http://cbs4.com/contact
I wonder if he had made anti-Semitic comments if the poll questions would have been the same.
Posted by: Josh Greenberg | Feb 15, 2007 9:36:19 AM
What's more interesting is that the CBS4 poll asks commentators to list their sexual orientation (and some so, as proudly straight). Makes one wonder what CBS4 political stance is on ths subject... Hmmmm...
Posted by: Cory | Feb 15, 2007 9:43:54 AM
Cory | Feb 15, 2007 8:48:44 AM
you are right, BUT that happens in every group. is it your gay that are laughing at shirley q racist blackface jokes. every group does the same thing.
Posted by: johnosahon | Feb 15, 2007 9:53:53 AM
I'll keep this short and sweet - Tim Hardaway is one unbelievably dumb n*****r.
Posted by: Sean | Feb 15, 2007 9:59:23 AM
I just read Hardaway's comments and I laughed out loud. While he was a great player, he sure knows very little about the folk who run the NBA. He had to know he was going to get canned got yapping this noise. So his lack of smarts bothers me more than his homophobia. And as someone said, this is the rant of someone who sucked dick before and is now ashamed.
peace
Posted by: James | Feb 15, 2007 10:00:48 AM
Amazing predjudice from a black man obviously he has forgotten where his people have come from.
Posted by: denis | Feb 15, 2007 10:07:31 AM
Thanks a lot, Canada, for inventing something as dopey as basketball anyway.
Posted by: Joe T. | Feb 15, 2007 10:10:26 AM
In the reactions of Mr. Hardaway and the NHL players who were quoted on the site a few days ago to Mr. Amaechi's announcement, it's evident they're trying to perpetuate the stereotype of the predatory homosexual. Alas for them (and good for us), they're only perpetuating the stereotype of the dumb jock instead.
Posted by: Andy | Feb 15, 2007 10:16:01 AM
Shane, if you want to see White gay pride events, you can look at most of the major pride parades and parties. They are almost exclusively White run and attended, this is the reason why so many Black gay people have started Black gay pride events.
A good example of this can be seen in what happened during the Atlanta Pride event last year. When a Black owned magazine tried to pay to sponsor the event, they were ignored and then turned down.
No one can make you feel a certain way. Any guilt that you feel is of your own accord. I think this is why many White people refuse to face their own bigotry and the bigotry that exists in society, instead of trying to change things, they internalize things and think that any mention of the problems that exist are a personal attack against them.
As others have said, nothing will change until everyone is treated like individuals regardless of race, sex, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation.
Posted by: Cadence | Feb 15, 2007 10:27:28 AM
I was upset by his comment. I was further upset that an apology is deemed sufficient.
In regards to comparing what gays are going through to the black civil rights movement- there are valid points on both sides of this arguement. Personally I think there are very scary similarities to the persecution of the jews in Nazi Germany
or at least what lead upto the jews being herded into concentration camps.
My partner thinks I'm parnoid- but if our country hands power over to the wrong people it will be a very slippery slope to a place where gays are rounded up and removed from society.
Posted by: Kris P | Feb 15, 2007 10:43:27 AM
Shane
Your a complete waste of time. We can go back and forth on this. I could careless if you didn't understand me or my point. If you feel guilty for putting "no blacks, asians, fats, or fems," on your manhunt profile, don't blame me. If you feel guilty by the constant bullshit black and asian men in the gay community get for their ethinicity, don't blame me. I'm not the source of your sorrows.
What exactly am I guilty of? I was only saying that members of the gay community have a problem with their own prejudices but are under the illusion that they're something better because the racism in the gay community isn't institutionalized and enforced with the use of force. If your feeling guilty about it, don't blame me.
Cory was in the right when brought up the homophobia of Bush and the rest of white America's homophobia but why when the Gov of Mass declares war on homosexuals his race doesn't get mentioned simply because he's white. If a person's white, all of a sudden their race is a non issue?
To expect blacks to tag along with the gay community and exempt whites simply because of past history is bullshit. There's enough black "leaders" who try to elevate "the black race" to a higher pedestal. Its amazing how some of you can degrade blacks and hold them accountable for shit based on their race. Don't enough people on both sides do this?
Posted by: D-2 | Feb 15, 2007 10:46:10 AM
Zeke, You state eloquently what many of us think (n.b., think, not feel) on the struggle for basic civil rights for gays and the parallels to other civil rights battles. Glad to have you back on the blog. We have been inundated lately by posters who accuse us of being too old, bitter, and long winded to appreciate their vacuous opinions (borne imho of internalized homophobia). Preach long and loud brother!
Posted by: rudy | Feb 15, 2007 10:54:59 AM
I think he regrets his statements, because of the consequences. Please boycott him and any organization that supports him. Vehement protest can be effective. There are plenty of former professional athletes, who aren't defined by their ignorance, willing to take his place in the endorsement game.
Posted by: Ed | Feb 15, 2007 11:43:12 AM
The memes of "black homophobia" and "gay racism" have been infiltrating the interwebs for quite a few years now and I'm disgusted by both. Every time I see someone post something like "blacks can be very homophobic" I feel like pulling my remaining hair out. Don't you guys have black friends that support you? What about the CBC (minus Harold Ford)? What about Al Sharpton, or John Lewis, or Carol Moseley Braun? Don't they count? Or Shaquille O'Neal, or Barkley, or Doc Rivers? The wingnuts have been trying to drive a wedge between the black and gay communities since they took power six years ago. This is something that we must not accept.
Posted by: Gabriel | Feb 15, 2007 11:43:16 AM