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

nba don't say gay

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the 'Don't Say Gay' bill to law on Monday. DeSantis claims the bill protects parents' rights, but LGBTQ fai disagree.

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

Many tweets me years ago. It don’t lsen the stg for the gay fan who disvered them, or other gay men basketball. * nba don't say gay *

“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. Beg a big NBA fan, Chris cid to check the acunts of some of his favore players and found var homophobic tweets.

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

Kev Durant ed the most graphic anti-gay language I’ve ever heard om a pro athlete. The NBA rponse? Crickets. * nba don't say gay *

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.

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

Supporters and crics of the "Don't Say Gay" bill differ on whether would prevent the "stctn" or "discsn" of sexual orientatn or genr inty * nba don't say gay *

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.

WHAT DO ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ ACTUALLY SAY?

Rearch that analyzed social media posts fds that hateful referenc to gays, lbians and other LGBTQ people surged onle after Florida passed a law that bars stctn on sexual orientatn and genr inty krgarten through third gra. * nba don't say gay *

“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.

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

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.

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

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

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

Youyr so gay lool”.

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

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.

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

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.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* NBA DON'T SAY GAY

What Florida's 'Don’t Say Gay' bill actually says .

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