News: Ellen DeGeneres, Volcano, Tim Hardaway, Catapult Bashing

NYT lead editorial on ENDA: "Winning a majority in the House required a painful decision by the bill’s sponsors to jettison language extending the prohibition against employment discrimination to transgender individuals. As a result, some gay rights groups opposed the final bill. We sympathize with the groups’ sense of injustice, but disagree heartily as to strategy. Transgender people should be protected from discrimination, and we hope they soon will be. It would have been regrettable, however, had the sponsors refused to compromise, and as a result, lost the chance to extend basic civil rights to the millions of Americans who would be covered by the current bill."

Magma surge the size of Los Angeles builds under Yellowstone: "The remains of the Yellowstone supervolcano in the US is huffing and puffing and rising by up to 7 centimetres a year, say researchers... But the researchers, led by Wu-Lung Chang of the University of Utah in the US, caution that the movement does not mean an explosion is imminent. Calderas – the massive craters that are left behind when a volcano collapses – all over the world go up and down over decades."

Father of Italy's gay movement, Massimo Consoli, dies at 61 after battle with cancer: "Consoli was a prolific writer, theorist, and self-trained historian with 40 books to his credit, mostly on homosexual subjects, as well as an indefatigable archivist of materials on homosexuality. He was also a tireless and talented lifelong organizer who pioneered the first modern Italian gay organizations."

Catholic church in Italy bans transgender parliamentarian Vladimir Luxuria from being a bridesmaid at her relative's wedding.

Page Six slams Ellen DeGeneres for being a scab: "The TV chat host crossed picket lines to tape her show Tuesday, the day after the union went on strike. 'There's a writers' strike going on, and here in Los Angeles, it's a huge story,' she told her studio audience, defending her strikebreaking. (The episode will air today.) 'I want to say I love my writers. I love them. In honor of them today, I'm not going to do a monologue. I support them and hope that they get everything they're asking for. And I hope it works out soon. In the meantime, people have traveled across the country. They've made plans. They're here. I want to do everything I can to make your trip enjoyable and give you a show.' It's a decision DeGeneres may come to regret."

Personal assistant to famous NYC realtor and punk rock pioneer Linda Stein arrested for her boss' murder: "Formal charges were pending against Natavia Lowery, 26, said police spokesman Paul Browne. She "made statements implicating herself" in the killing, he said."

Britney Spears buys a shiny new Mercedes to continue breaking the law in.

Gay and lesbian film festival Tim Hardaway still working on his gayhab: "I know a lot more now and I'm willing to talk to people and I want to make sure they understand that my words were terrible and I didn't mean them."

Homophobic thugs in England ambush motorist using stones and a catapult! "He said a group used a catapult to fire stones at him and his car before hurling homo-phobic insults at him too. Police say the man immediately phoned for help and officers from the Tandridge neighbourhood team arrived within minutes to sweep the area in search of the suspects. Police believe they were men, but because they were hiding officers were unable to issue a description or confirm an exact number of suspects."

Navy doctor guilty on all counts in case involving secretly taping midshipmen having sex...

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Tim Hardaway Turnaround: Becoming an LGBT Youth Advocate

In the months since Tim Hardaway reacted to John Amaechi's coming out by declaring "I hate gay people," comments that reverberated through the media and caused him to lose a place at the NBA's All Star Festivities, the former Heat player has been attending and working with the YES Institute, an advocacy center for LGBT youth.

According to the AP, "The group, founded in 1996, seeks to prevent teen suicides while boosting the self-esteem of children and keeping them free of violence and discrimination."

When he learned of the institute, Hardaway decided to check it out. Says the former pro: "I was scared out of my ... mind. I didn't know how they were going to act toward me. But you know what? They welcomed me with open arms. That eased a lot of my nervousness."

Hardaway says he wanted to take steps following the homophobic incident to change himself. He says he has not given interviews for many months because he did not want people to think his work with YES was a "publicity stunt or a quick fix to an image problem."

Says Hardaway: "I just wanted to go in and get educated, that's all. Get educated on what I said and why I said those things. I'm working on understanding it now. I'm not really trying to make amends. I've been there trying to get help. "I had no idea how much I hurt people. A lot of people."

Martha Fugate, the director of YES, has praised Hardaway in a press release: "Thanks to his honest albeit misguided reaction, Tim did find his way to YES Institute and the education he got was not just about others, but about himself. Because he is a role model, perhaps other people will also learn -- hopefully before bad consequences happen to them."

A contrite Tim Hardaway now embraced by some in gay community [ap via sports illustrated]

Background
Former NBA Star Tim Hardaway: "I Hate Gay People" [tr]

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Howard Bragman: Helping Athletes Out...of the Closet

Outsports has a chat with publicist Howard Bragman, who has helped a series of high-profile athletes transition from closeted to openly gay in the public spotlight. This has made Bragman the "go-to" guy for jocks on the way "out". Bragman's clients have included Esera Tuaolo, Rosie Jones, Sheryl Swoopes, and most recently former NBA player John Amaechi. He has also been hired by Isaiah Washington to help the actor clean up after the Grey's Anatomy F-word incident.

Bragman discusses how the John Amaechi story unfolded: "I was working backward from the date of ESPN the magazine and the book coming out. Then Leigh Steinberg calls me a week before the Super Bowl and asks, 'will you go to Florida and do P.R. for my party?' Here you put a publicist at a Super Bowl party, and there are 25 journalists there, and my eyes light up, and I say, 'Guys, I've got a big story. In a couple weeks, I've got a former NBA player coming out of the closet.' And they started writing about it virally. And that Wednesday is one of those days you never forget. His identity was out there, and I had a real fear that the story would go away, but ironically a lot of media outlets who said they weren't sure when I pitched the book, as soon as it went viral, they had to have it. And then it just went ballistic after that."

He also says he doesn't think he could ever rep Tim Hardaway: "I don't think I would. And I say that as the guy who reps Isaiah Washington. Because it's got to be about more than just the money for me. And before I signed Isaiah, we talked for a couple hours. We knew people in common, and I really feel like he screwed up, but I think it was a screw up instead of being a homophobe. I look at the situation where the guy has played gay roles in his career. And I think somebody who's truly homophobic wouldn't do that. But Tim Hardaway's a little different for me. I like to be someplace I'm proud of, in representation. With Isaiah, we have a chance to talk, to have a real dialogue. He's really beautifully positioned to have a real dialogue."

Much more over at Outsports...

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Announcer Billy Packer Called on "Fag Out" Comment

In an interview with Charlie Rose on Friday, CBS college basketball announcer Billy Packer casually used the term "fag out" while joking about Rose being a runner for him in this year's Final Four basketball match-up. 'Good As You' has the video of Packer's comments.

"Do you need a runner this Final Four?" Rose asked, "because I could jump on a plane and I could be there." Said Packer: "You always fag out on that one for me, you know. You always say, oh yeah, I'm gonna be the runner, then you never show up. But I’m sure they can find a place for ya. You've got all the connections in the world. You can go ahead and be a runner anyplace you want to."

The term, as defined by Urban Dictionary means "To bail on something, 'pussy out'" while WordWebOnline defines it as "exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress."

Outsports asked CBS Sports Vice-president of Communications LeslieAnne Wade about the comments. Said Wade: "I know he wasn't meaning to be insensitive at all. While it is a term that is in the dictionary, it was still a poor choice of words. I'm confident that he would agree that it was a bad choice of words."

I'd agree. And while it appears to be a colloquialism left over from the days of the dinosaurs (John Amaechi said "I can honestly say I have never heard that phrase used that way. Not in my entire life."), perhaps Packer deserves to be bent over the knee of Tim Hardaway and spanked until Hardaway "fags out".

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Tim Hardaway Looks for a Second Chance

Tim Hardaway tells the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson that he'd rather "go straight to [a gay organization]" than attend "sensitivity training" for his remarks, and notes that the impact his anti-gay comments had on his business dealings ''hurt the most". He says he wants a second chance.

Said Hardaway: ''People have been trying to kick me when I'm down. [The reaction was] very, very shocking. People saying my wife left me -- that's not true. My family is OK and my finances are OK. I'm looking for a second chance and trying to clean up my image. I haven't been in trouble with drugs or guns. I'm an upstanding citizen. Like I told my children, life is not easy. This is a big bump I have to overcome. I'm going to deal with it like a champ. I've got to make sure people know I don't hate gay people.''

Hardaway also said that a meeting he had with NBA commissioner David Stern was "encouraging and very positive." He attended a Heat game last week and is attempting to get back in the good graces of head coach Pat Riley.

Riley says he has left the door open to that possibility: ''We are a country and city that forgives. I'm going to reach out to him, but he's got to admit if there's a problem, he's got to fix it..I think people who know Tim know he's a good person.''

Hardaway made headlines in February when he told a Miami radio host, "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."

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Tim Hardaway Out, John Amaechi In as Bald Guy Spokesmodel

Former NBA player John Amaechi, who recently announced that he's gay, continues to demonstrate restraint and good taste, even when noting that there's some amount of "karmic justice" in the fact that he has just signed to represent Headblade, a company specializing in products for bald men, while Tim Hardaway, employed for the very same position with rival company BaldGuyz, saw his sponsorship cut after responding to Amaechi's disclosure by saying "I hate gay people" to a South Florida radio show.

Said Amaechi: "I don’t feel any joy [at Hardaway's loss].

The ads featuring Amaechi will run in two basketball magazines, Hoop and Slam, and while HeadBlade is not a huge company, Amaechi's endorsement deal is being noted as a step forward in the acceptance of openly gay athletes by mainstream marketers.

What those marketers aren't looking for is controversy, notes the New York Times:

That aptly described what happened to Snickers, sold by the Masterfoods USA division of Mars, after it ran an ad during the Super Bowl. Gay activists complained about the spot, which showed two men who had accidentally kissed reacting by harming themselves. Masterfoods withdrew the commercial, created by the TBWA/Chiat/Day unit of Omnicom.

“The problem is that it was conditioning, modeling behavior,” Mr. Amaechi said, by showing that “real men” were supposed to feel conflicted and horrified when two men kiss.

Asked if he would accept an offer to endorse Snickers, Mr. Amaechi replied: “I could show you how to react to two men kissing. Smile broadly.”

Gay Athletes Slowly Enter the Endorsement Arena [nyt]

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Spin Control: Tim Hardaway Talks About his Hate Speech

Former NBA player Tim Hardaway, who shocked the sports world following John Amaechi's coming out by declaring "I hate gay people", has given his most extensive and revealing interview to date regarding the comments.

He tells longtime friend Scoop Jackson of ESPN:

"...it was just the wrong choice of words. It came out of my mouth real crude and real bad and real ugly. And people think that that's the way I feel. That I hate [gay people], and I don't. I don't condone what they do, but I don't hate them. But that's how it came out...I should have been smart about what I was saying and how I expressed my feelings because I offended a lot of folks. And not knowing the magnitude on how this all escalated. I mean, I offended my family, my friends, the NBA, the gay community, people I don't know, the [Miami] Heat organization. I realize that I offended a lot of people and caused a lot of friction on a touchy subject. And now it's my job to make it right."

Hardaway tells Jackson: "I still don't accept their lifestyle. No." and says that when he sees gay people on the streets of Miami "I just get away from it. I just walk away. I see it, I just go the other way, cross the street."

He adds: "When we was growing up Scoop, if we saw gay people or whatever, we ran across the street. We got away from them. Our parents, our friends, our families knew that that wasn't right. We didn't want to be around that and they definitely didn't want us kids around it. And it's not that they hated gay people, they just felt they it wasn't right. Let them do what they want to do. And that was my experience when I was growing up. Not acknowledging them. Now did something happen to me? No. But I did have a friend that something happened to him in a Catholic school, but that is another can of worms that it's not my place to open because it's not my life. But to answer your question, 'No.' Nothing happened to me. I just don't condone [being gay]. When I see gay people holding hands or kissing in the streets, I just don't think that's right."

Hardaway says that the past couple weeks have been "pure hell" and he worries someone will physically harm him or his family.

What he doesn't seem to realize, however, is that his fears are felt by gay people all the time as a consequence of hate speech which condones intolerance and facilitates violence.

The one bright spot in the interview is that the incident seems to have opened Hardaway's eyes a little to the fact that there are gay people all around him:

"Maybe I could go to therapy, maybe someone can help me out with understanding [them], the sensitivity of the issue. But as a person, my beliefs are my beliefs. I don't have to condone it and I don't have to be around it. But I don't have to hate it either...Right now, learning. Learning that gay people are really no different than a lot of other people. Learning that they work hard, they do things in the community, they are responsible for building parks, rec centers, providing safe environments for kids, just things I had never associated with them before. [This last week] has opened up my eyes to the gay population and what they do. I'm getting a lot of knowledge about them that I didn't have. Which is going to make me a better person. And if it doesn't, then I'm a damn fool."

After reading his comments, it appears to me that Hardaway's homophobia is a classic case of the 'fear of the unknown'. Visibility is of the utmost importance in spreading tolerance. That is why it's important that news anchors come out, that celebrities come out, that politicians come out, that athletes come out. There should be many more John Amaechis.

The full interview is well worth a read.

You may have missed...
Tim Hardaway's Gay Spinout: North Miami Mayor, All-Stars React [tr]
Former NBA Player Tim Hardaway: "I Hate Gay People" [tr]
Former NBA Player John Amaechi on Outside the Lines: I'm Gay [tr]
Amaechi: Hardaway Anti-Gay Comments "Illustrate the Problem" [tr]
Tim Hardaway's Gay Hate Speech Brings Swift Reaction [tr]

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In the NBA Locker Room with Michael Medved

Not to dwell on the recent Tim Hardaway story, but I hadn't posted this, and didn't want it to slide by.

Michael Medved: "Hardaway appropriately apologized for his harsh remarks, but many (if not most) Americans no doubt share his instinctive reluctance to share showers and locker rooms with open homosexuals. That reluctance also explains the controversial Defense Department policy that prevents out-of-the-closet gays from serving in the United States military."

Thus starts the conservative columnist's recent item on the Hardaway comments which perpetuates a set of twisted generalities truly astounding in their sexism and bigotry. Here's a bit more:

The much better analogy for discomfort at gay teammates involves the widespread (and generally accepted) idea that women and men shouldn’t share locker rooms. Making gay males unwelcome in the intimate circumstances of an NBA team makes just as much sense as making straight males unwelcome in the showers for a women’s team at the WNBA. Most female athletes would prefer not to shower together with men not because they hate males (though some of them no doubt do), but because they hope to avoid the tension, distraction and complication that prove inevitable when issues of sexual attraction (and even arousal) intrude into the arena of competitive sports.

Tim Hardaway (and most of his former NBA teammates) wouldn’t welcome openly gay players into the locker room any more than they’d welcome profoundly unattractive, morbidly obese women. I specify unattractive females because if a young lady is attractive (or, even better, downright “hot”) most guys, very much including the notorious love machines of the National Basketball Association, would probably welcome her joining their showers. The ill-favored, grossly overweight female is the right counterpart to a gay male because, like the homosexual, she causes discomfort due to the fact that attraction can only operate in one direction. She might well feel drawn to the straight guys with whom she’s grouped, while they feel downright repulsed at the very idea of sex with her.

There's more where that came from. Check out the rest of the column here.

OF course, Medved's generalities were disproved last week by the players themselves. But Medved seems to have really thought through those locker room scenes with intense concentration, right? Makes you wonder.

Where Tim Hardaway Was Right [town hall]

Related
Tim Hardaway's Gay Spinout: North Miami Mayor, All-Stars React [tr]
Tim Hardaway's Gay Hate Speech Brings Swift Reaction [tr]
Former NBA Star Tim Hardaway: "I Hate Gay People"[tr]

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News: Air Force Rapist, John McCain, Light Bulbs, Nova

Continental Basketball Association relieves Tim Hardaway of his duties.

In bid to cut greenhouse gases, Australian government plans to phase out incandescent light bulbs within three years: "Turnbull said the banning of incandescent bulbs would help trim 800,000 tons from Australia’s current emissions level by 2012 and lower household lighting costs by 66 per cent."

300 rally with Candace Gingrich at Indiana Statehouse to demonstrate against amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman. Gingrich: "You know what? Same-sex marriage already is illegal in Indiana, but it's the second part of this that they (proponents) don't want you to know anything about, that they want you to ignore. They don't want you to dig into the second part of the amendment because it could harm not just gay Hoosiers, but all Hoosiers." According to the Indy Star "The amendment's first sentence defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The second says neither the constitution nor state law can be construed as giving 'the legal incidents' of marriage to unmarried couples or groups."

Sirius and XM Satellite Radio announce plans for $4.6 billion merger.

Sarah Silverman's neighbors Steve and Brian not your typical TV gays.

Creepy: Court martial begins for Air Force officer accused of drugging and raping four men and attempting to rape two others: "Prosecutors told Col. Thomas Cumbie, the military judge, that the victims described experiences similar to the effects of gamma-hydroxybutyrate, or GHB, also known as the date-rape drug. Prosecutors said the men met Taylor at bars, had drinks and then blacked out."

A Q&A with the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales.

John McCain slams Rumsfeld: "We are paying a very heavy price for the mismanagement - that's the kindest word I can give you - of Donald Rumsfeld, of this war. The price is very, very heavy and I regret it enormously. I think that Donald Rumsfeld will go down in history as one of the worst secretaries of defense in history." Although what he said upon Rumsfeld's retirement was far different: "While Secretary Rumsfeld and I have had our differences, he deserves Americans' respect and gratitude for his many years of public service."

QueerCents announces weekly series intended to guide gays and lesbians through tax season.

Two female pop stars choose divergent paths.

Early-rising amateur astronomers can spot a nova with the naked eye right now if you look hard enough.

Italy's government in closed-door sessions with the Vatican over draft bill giving legal rights to same-sex and unwed couples: "The meeting, at which Bertone and other prelates met Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, President Giorgio Napolitano and other officials, was a regular diplomatic event but was the first since the disputed bill was proposed earlier this month. Pope Benedict has accused political 'lobbies' of damaging the family. 'Divorce and free unions are on the rise, meanwhile adultery is viewed with an unjustifiable tolerance,' he said on Saturday."

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Tim Hardaway's Gay Spinout: North Miami Mayor, All-Stars React

In an attempt to help Tim Hardaway understand gay people, North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns has extended an invitation to the former NBA player. Burns has asked Hardaway to spend a day with him at his office and home, where he lives with his partner of 23 years, Rob Flint, and their daughter Autumn.

Said Burns: ''We're just trying to show him that there are living, breathing people that just happen to be gay. 'I don't expect [Hardaway] to be waving a peace flag anytime soon, even after this. But maybe he'll be less likely to say something bad about people if he knows them and understands a little more." Burns says Hardaway has accepted the offer, but no official announcement has been made, and Hardaway's spokesperson told the Miami Herald that an announcement would be premature.

Hardaway apologized again on Sunday for his comments, telling CBS affiliate WFOR, "I don't hate gay people. I'm a good-hearted person. I interact with people all the time. ... I respect people. For me to say 'hate' was a bad word, and I didn't mean to use it."

Despite the contrition, comments Hardaway made last week, that he "hates gay people" and would feel uncomfortable playing on a team with another gay player, are still reverberating through the sport.

During All-Star weekend media sessions in Las Vegas over the weekend, players, including some from Hardaway's former team, the Miami Heat, were asked about the incident.

Heat center Shaquille O'Neal (pictured joking around during All-Star practice with LeBron James) said he would stand up for a gay player: "I was always taught as a youngster to never judge people, so I never judge people and to each their own. If he was my teammate and people ridiculed him and jumped on him, I would probably have to protect him."

Heat guard Dwyane Wade did not refer to Hardaway specifically, but offered this: "Anybody who knows me knows I'm a guy who loves his teammates and if anything ever comes up like that, I don't look at that. I look at what guys can do for you on the court. And in the locker room you have great relationships with guys. I don't have any negative views."

Heat forward Jason Kapono (seen here after winning the trophy for the three-point competition Saturday night) said Hardaway's views put him in the minority: "Everyone has their own views on life, and that's something that's obviously his point of view, but that's definitely not the point of view of all the rest of us."

NBA star Bill Laimbeer avoided the question entirely: "Who is Tim Hardaway? Next question."

Memphis forward Mike Miller offered support for former teammate Amaechi: "He's a great person. Everyone has the right to be how they want be. It would be difficult [having an out player on the team], but at the same time our league is a league that has taken on anything. We bring on and accept anything, and I think that's what's special about the NBA."

Scottie Pippen: It was pretty shocking. You hate to see that happen to one of your colleagues knowing the damage he's caused to himself, his family and friends ... I'm very disappointed it happened."

Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash said: "I think, probably, there's a player or two out there who believes what he believes. That probably would be fair of every cross section of society. But in general, I think he spoke for himself. I don't think you'd catch many guys feeling that way...Maybe 10 years ago. But in our locker room [now]? I think guys are over it. Guys are like, 'I don't care what you do.' I don't know about other locker rooms. I don't know if it's peer pressure is contagious or just being in the right place in the right time to get that type of virulence. But in the Phoenix Suns' locker room, it's not like that."

Sacramento Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof said a bigoted player would not have a place on his team: "What he said was uncalled for. What he said was wrong. I'm sure he apologized for it, but the damage has been done. He should have never said that. Because we don't want to be judged by race, creed, color, sexual preference. I mean, people are people. And that's the way it should be."

In addition to having his name dropped from the car wash he co-owns in south Florida, Hardaway was taunted and flaunted on several websites over the weekend, which published YouTube footage of a naked Hardaway in the locker room. Said sports blog Deadspin: "Tim Hardaway might not enjoy gay people, but I really think it could give us all a chance to heal if gay people had a chance to enjoy Tim Hardaway."

Here are a few recent notable articles on Amaechi:
The Loneliness of the Gay Basketball Player: John Amaechi's Man in the Middle, the memoir of an NBA misfit. [slate]
Amaechi's Good Morning America appearance [newsbusters]

Gay Mayor Reaches Out to Hardaway [miami herald]
Shaq: I'd protect a gay teammate [palm beach post]
Anti-gay comments find no backing [tr]

You may have missed...
Former NBA Player Tim Hardaway: "I Hate Gay People" [tr]
Former NBA Player John Amaechi on Outside the Lines: I'm Gay [tr]
Amaechi: Hardaway Anti-Gay Comments "Illustrate the Problem" [tr]
Tim Hardaway's Gay Hate Speech Brings Swift Reaction [tr]

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Tim Hardaway's Gay Hate Speech Brings Swift Reaction

On Wednesday night, Former Miami Heat player Tim Hardaway's astonishing flippant response to comments he made regarding gay people following John Amaechi's coming out only served to further fuel the public outrage that was building. Said Hardaway: "There are more important things to worry about than my comments. We should be more concerned about President Bush and all the people dying in Iraq."

Huh? Hardaway has since felt the pressure to issue a more contrite statement. On Thursday, he issued the following apology through his agent Henry Thomas:

"As an African American, I know all too well the negative thoughts and feelings hatred and bigotry cause. I regret and apologize for the statements that I made that have certainly caused the same kinds of feelings and reactions. I especially apologize to my fans, friends and family in Miami and Chicago. I am committed to examining my feelings and will recognize, appreciate and respect the differences among people in our society. I regret any embarrassment I have caused the league on the eve of one of their greatest annual events."

Following Hardaway's initial remarks on Wednesday ("I hate gay people. I let it be known, I don't like gay people. I don't like to be around gay people.") the NBA canceled an "NBA legend" appearance by the former point guard at the YMCA of Southern Nevada as well as his participation in events surrounding this weekend's All Star game in Las Vegas.

Hardaway has also been dumped as spokesman for Baldguyz, a company that makes grooming products for bald men, according to the Miami Herald. Said their CEO: ''BaldGuyz, like baldness, does not discriminate based on lifestyle choice, color, education, financial resources, religion, physical capabilities or in any other way."

Meanwhile, John Amaechi continues to react to the incident with restraint and eloquence. Here are some of his recent comments to the San Francisco Chronicle:

"It's not my place to get in the way of someone's relationship with God, with their God. That is their belief. However, if what you are actually talking about is Biblical literalism, and if that's the case, then I expect people who spout vitriol about gay people to have the same ire as they regard players who have guns under their seats, who smoke marijuana, who commit adultery...

...I think that the truth of the levels of homophobia in society sometimes have to be highlighted by some kind of car crash, and that's what this is. He's stopped people from saying some of the things that I've heard, you know, "Shut up, because there's no issue. There's no need to talk about this, there's no problem. There's no homophobia.'' I find that ironic in the greatest extent in a country where in 33 states you could be fired for being gay...

...One of the most important things throughout history that we know is that the furtherance of causes for minorities has been sponsored not only by the great efforts of the minorities themselves, but also by the fact that people from outside that minority group would stand shoulder to shoulder (with them). People who stood next to black people during emancipation, during the fight for equal rights were considered very progressive and bold and brave. ... The problem we have in the gay community is that people who stand next to them are considered gay. It makes them quiet."

Hardaway very slow getting back on defense after airball [sf chronicle]
Hardaway's gay bashing brings swift rebuke [miami herald]

You may have missed...
Former NBA Star Tim Hardaway: "I Hate Gay People" [tr]
Former NBA Player John Amaechi on Outside the Lines: I'm Gay [tr]

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News: Americone Dream, Gay Ski Week, Lou Pearlman, Heat

Earth's temperature record "smashed" in January: "The temperature of the world's land and water combined — the most effective measurement — was 1.53 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the 20th-century average of 53.6 for January, breaking the old record by more than one-quarter of a degree. Ocean temperatures alone didn't set a record. That didn't just nudge past the old record set in 2002, but broke that mark by 0.81 degrees, which meteorologists said is a lot, since such records often are broken by hundredths of a degree at a time."

Al Gore announces "Live Earth" concerts.

Stephen Colbert gets his own flavor of Ben & Jerry's, Americone Dream. Colbert: "I'm not afraid to say it. Dessert has a well-known liberal agenda. What I hope to do with this ice cream is bring some balance back to the freezer case."

Boy band tycoon Lou Pearlman on the run from the FBI? Idolator: "There are now 16 suits pending against Pearlman, seeking a total of $134 million. His alleged transgressions are hard to encapsulate--the Orlando Sentinel has an entire Pearlman archive--but one of the most pressing accusations is that he was running an ambitious Ponzi scheme to bilk investors. Considering the scope of the investigation, we're sure Pearlman will show up soon; in fact, we're guessing you can find him right now at some undisclosed Disney nightclub, where he's eating fistfuls of Mars bars and asking the waiters if they can hit a mid-range falsetto."

We win. Keith Olbermann gets "second term" at MSNBC. Contract renewed for four more years.

David Beckham acts on Instinct.

Hallmark to release line of cards referencing sexual orientation: "Hallmark Cards Inc., which has built its $4.2 billion empire on sentiments for life's happier times, is releasing a new line of cards that will speak to those and other situations that the company says have either been ignored by greeting card companies or received only a smattering of attention from niche players...No topics were off-limits, said company spokeswoman Rachel Bolton, noting two cards that could be sent to gay people who have disclosed their sexuality. The cards don't directly refer to homosexuality, only extolling the person to 'Be You' or 'This is who I am' or featuring a rainbow, a symbol of gay pride."

Gay ski week at Whistler: a photo gallery. (via slog)

Hundreds rally for gay rights in Maryland after state legislators introduce two amendments to ban gay marriage: “When people have to leave the nation of their birth to participate in a basic right of citizenship, we do not have equal justice under the law. When there is hesitation about marriage equality, when there is discussion of setting up a separate but equal — but unequal — system, we do not have equal justice under the law. And we will be here until we get full equality under the law.”

Domain name timhardawayisgay.com for sale on eBay. Bargain.

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Amaechi: Hardaway Anti-Gay Comments "Illustrate the Problem"

In an interview with the Associated Press Thursday, former NBA player John Amaechi spoke out about former NBA player Tim Hardaway's comments about gay people.

Said Amaechi: "I don't need Tim's comments to realize there's a problem. People said that I should just shut up and go away - now they have to rethink that."

Hardaway made the comments to a radio host Wednesday, when asked about Amaechi's recent disclosure that he is gay. Said Hardaway: "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...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." (video)

Amaechi added: "His words pollute the atmosphere. It creates an atmosphere that allows young gays and lesbians to be harassed in school, creates an atmosphere where in 33 states you can lose your job, and where anti-gay and lesbian issues are used for political gain. It's an atmosphere that hurts all of us, not just gay people. Famously, they're saying in 2007 that homophobia is not an issue. While (Hardaway) is not a representative of the NBA or of straight men, there's no point pretending it's not an opinion that is out there."

Amaechi also spoke to Dan Le Batarad (the host of the show on which Hardaway spewed his hate) at the Miami Herald on Wednesday evening saying that Hardaway's comments open a window into what gay athletes may have to face in professional sports. Said Amaechi: "I'm actually tempted to laugh. Finally, someone who is honest. It is ridiculous, absurd, petty, bigoted and shows a lack of empathy that is gargantuan and unfathomable. But it is honest. And it illustrates the problem better than any of the fuzzy language other people have used so far.''

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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.

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