Florida’s ‘don’t say gay’ law may sound vague – but s purpose is clear | Arwa Mahdawi | The Guardian

Contents:

• A GAY NBA FAN FOUND 78 HOMOPHOBIC TWEETS BY 40 PLAYERS ON 23 TEAMS
• NBA, NETS, ACH AND PLAYERS HAVE ALL BOTCHED THE RPONSE TO KEV DURANT’S ANTI-GAY MENTS
• HERE'S WHAT FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL WOULD DO AND WHAT WOULDN'T DO
• WHAT DO ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ ACTUALLY SAY?
• FACT-CHECKG 3 PROMENT CLAIMS ABOUT FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL
• FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LAW FUELS ANTI-LGBTQ HATE ONLE
• FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LAW MAY SOUND VAGUE – BUT S PURPOSE IS CLEAR
• AFTER 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL PASSED, ANTI-LGBTQ 'GROOMG' RHETORIC SURGED 400% ONLE
• 'WHAT PARENTS ARE THEY SUPPORTG?': MOMS SPEAK OUT AGAST 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW

A GAY NBA FAN FOUND 78 HOMOPHOBIC TWEETS BY 40 PLAYERS ON 23 TEAMS

“I hate gay dus”. The ments are among 78 tweets om 36 current and active NBA players on teams that are homophobic language, nature or even tent (four other players were on a roster when the list was piled last month, but they are no longer on an NBA team). The players clu CJ McCollum, the print of the Natnal Basketball Players Assn., who tweeted “no homo, ” as well as superstar Kev Durant, who tweeted “shut up fag boy.

“I don’t re how long ago was, shows the person’s character, my opn, ” said Derrick Gordon, who me out publicly as gay while playg basketball at UMass and who now plays profsnally Germany. When “Chris, ” a young NBA fan who is gay, saw the tweets, they sadned and angered him. “It was shockg but not surprisg, ” Chris said of the number of homophobic tweets he found.

“The culture of homophobia sports ns very ep, pecially a hyper-mascule league like the NBA.

NBA, NETS, ACH AND PLAYERS HAVE ALL BOTCHED THE RPONSE TO KEV DURANT’S ANTI-GAY MENTS

Beg a big NBA fan, Chris cid to check the acunts of some of his favore players and found var homophobic tweets. From his rearch: “Fag” showed up 29 tweets, “gay” 40 (and not plimentary), and the phrase “no homo” 17.

The Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz each have four players on the list of NBA athlet who created anti-gay tweets, while the Chigo Bulls currently have three players who tweeted homophobic msag. Of the 78 homophobic tweets, 70 were sent om 2009 to 2013. Not cintally, Jason Colls beme the first active NBA player to e out as gay 2013, raisg signifint awarens of LGBTQ issu — and the prence of gay players — the NBA.

For example, Durant 2013 voiced his support of Colls, but he also ma graphilly homophobic ments 2021. The NBA also might be takg a stricter le on homophobic ments by players. So ’s possible that players wh anti-gay views simply don’t exprs them publicly today.

HERE'S WHAT FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL WOULD DO AND WHAT WOULDN'T DO

“Culture as a whole has changed, ” said Anthony Nimo, a succsful high school basketball ach New York who me out publicly as gay several years ago. Colls — who played as an openly gay player the last uple regular-season months and then playoffs of the 2013-14 season — has been speakg to NBA rooki at the league’s annual symposium sce 2015.

Readg [the tweets] remd me a lot of my journal that I kept, and I stopped after two weeks, bee was jt … you hear , but you don’t really realize how much sual homophobia there was. Speakg om my experience, there is a disnnect sometim between someone who sual homophobia, and then once you show them who you are, they will step up and have your back.

“I’ve been openly gay for many years now. I’ve seen 12-year-olds beat up their classmat for beg gay. Oshae Brissett of the Indiana Pacers, now 23, was 12 and 13 when he posted ne homophobic tweets a two-year span.

WHAT DO ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ ACTUALLY SAY?

“you want all the guys on the street to love you ew your gay”.

FACT-CHECKG 3 PROMENT CLAIMS ABOUT FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL

Youyr so gay lool”. One mon slur ed var tweets was “no homo, ” which me to vogue over 10 years ago as a way for a man to pliment another man whout beg taken “the wrong way. “‘No homo’ as a phrase promot a negative nnotatn regards to gay men, as if we are ls-than, ” Chris said.

As a ach and tor, Nimo said he still hears “no homo” around teenagers — even beg out as a gay man — though the culture basketball has improved. “Kids today sometim say ‘no homo’ or somethg like that, but there has unqutnably been a shift, ” he said. “If someone talks about puttg a bullet someone’s head, that’s beyond ‘I hate gay people, ’” Nimo said.

FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LAW FUELS ANTI-LGBTQ HATE ONLE

The onle prence of the tweets 2022, even though wrten years ago, pots to a cultural problem wh athlet and anti-gay language. Kda homo “/2014Kev Durant“shut up fag boy”/2009“you sound gay son”/2009New York Knicks.

FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LAW MAY SOUND VAGUE – BUT S PURPOSE IS CLEAR

Evan Fournier In French ed “no homo” two 2012 tweetsPhilalphia 76ers.

Pl Reed“Bch be gay today, bi tommorow, and pregnant sunday ha”/2014 “Why is so many niggas drs up like girls and putt on wigs tryna be funny. Sh gay 100%”/2015. Fred VanVleet“stop all that gay sh”/2012Chigo Bulls.

Mallm Hill“homo# LOL”/2011Zach LaVe “@perrnTF @juice_wilson49 both y’all r gay”/2014Javonte Green“You gay for subbg”/2016Cleveland Cavaliers. Tim Frazier“you gay! Oshae Brissett“This guy is sooooo gay on my b”/2012“you want all the guys on the street to love you ew your gay”/2012“you sound like a girl..

AFTER 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL PASSED, ANTI-LGBTQ 'GROOMG' RHETORIC SURGED 400% ONLE

Youyr so gay lool”/2012“OMFG why gods good name would anyone cut them self for a fag”/2013“Callg your iend a fag on bbm but then you realize that you sent to your mom”/2012“you are a fag”/2013“follow me back fag”/2012“get off my twter you fag/2013@TheRealtEver_ fag”/2012Hoton Rockets. Jae’Sean Tate“u shut up fag boy”/2011“ur I nt believe wat u showed me today/2011“#gay”/2011Dallas Mavericks.

Spencer Dwiddie“Lol Chris Bosh is ugly af and gay as hell”/2012New Orleans Pelins. He is a good du tho, no homo. Josh Richardson “no homo”/2012”Charlotte Hors.

'WHAT PARENTS ARE THEY SUPPORTG?': MOMS SPEAK OUT AGAST 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW

Montrezl Harrell“no u fag you are talkg to the worlds ltlt man Jordan smh”/2012“you gay don’t @ me no more for real”/2011“This nigga the barber shop is gay as hell smh”/2012“SpongeBob Tho >> ^__^ ♥♥he gay”/2012“Trezl & India Fsg About Spongebob -__- Lol he’s gay”/2012. Dewayne Dedmon “We got some characters this class — the gay asians is kill me tho”/2011Atlanta Hawks.

Clt Capela“Big up to my man no homo @Davidou97one who gonna sugery this morng! Dmond Bane“I love you no homo”/2015Dillon Brooks“ur gay”/2012“naw fag”/2012“good fag”/2012Denver Nuggets.