Michael Irv talks about his gay brother, support for gay marriage - Outsports

Contents:

• MICHAEL IRV ON THE VER OF 'OUT,' TALKS ABOUT HIS GAY BROTHER AND SUPPORTS GAY MARRIAGE
• HALL OF FAMER MICHAEL IRV REVEALS HE'S A WOMANISER BEE HIS OLR BROTHER WAS GAY
• MICHAEL IRV'S ADVOCY BEGAN WH GAY BROTHER
• MICHAEL IRV TELLS MAGAZE HIS BROTHER WAS GAY
• MICHAEL IRV SAYS BISHOP TD JAK HELPED HIM DEAL WH GAY BROTHER
• MICHAEL IRV OPENS UP ABOUT TOLERANCE GAY MAGAZE
• MICHAEL IRV BACKS GAY RIGHTS "OUT" MAGAZE
• MICHAEL IRV: WHEN A GAY PLAYER OUT, I’LL SUPPORT HIM
• MICHAEL IRV: GOD SAYS, GAY IS OKAY [VIDEO]
• MICHAEL IRV POS ON COVER OF GAY MAGAZE TO PROMOTE EQUALY
• NFL’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER HONORED DURG LEAGUE’S AWARD SHOW
• MICHAEL IRV BACKS GAY RIGHTS "OUT" MAGAZE

MICHAEL IRV ON THE VER OF 'OUT,' TALKS ABOUT HIS GAY BROTHER AND SUPPORTS GAY MARRIAGE

“You know, Cyd, my brother was gay, ” he said.

"You know, Cyd, my brother was gay, " he said.

In that first nversatn about the piece he said was time to talk about his gay brother, Vghn. The moment he realized his brother was gay was an impactful moment that domated much of his life for the next 20 years. It was somethg he wanted to talk about openly for the first time; And was Vghn’s memory that Michael wanted to fully, openly endorse gay equaly and lay out the wele mat for gay players the NFL to e out.

HALL OF FAMER MICHAEL IRV REVEALS HE'S A WOMANISER BEE HIS OLR BROTHER WAS GAY

At one pot talkg to him about rencilg his relign wh his ditn to full equaly for gay people I stggled to fight back tears. Rarely have I wnsed anyone, gay or straight, speakg so eloquently and so strongly support of gay marriage.

MICHAEL IRV'S ADVOCY BEGAN WH GAY BROTHER

Irv’s support of same-sex marriage and the cln of gay people is profound, and he isn’t aaid of talkg about that om the perspective of a Black man.

In addn to Michael’s revelatns there are articl revealg Hudson’s plan to get married Washgton DC; Nick’s path to beg a gay in; and Mike Chabala’s ditn to equaly. And an emotnal piece, Ben Cohen talks for the first time about how the ath of his father, the victim of a bar fight, has led to his foundatn to stop anti-gay bullyg.

Here's hopg the issue of Out magaze challeng how some thk about the issue of equaly for gay people and chang some hearts and mds. Michael Irv champns 12, 2011, 10:19 AM ETFormer Dallas Cowboys great Michael Irv appears shirtls on the ver of this month's gay men's magaze Out and discs his passn for equaly publicly acknowledg that the impet for takg a stand om his relatnship wh his gay brother, Vghn, who died of stomach ncer at age 49 2006. "In the article, Irv scrib how his brother's sexual orientatn ntributed to his own says that he found out his brother was gay the late 1970s, when he found Vghn wearg women's clothg.

MICHAEL IRV TELLS MAGAZE HIS BROTHER WAS GAY

"Irv says that his father, Walter, helped him learn a tolerant form of Christiany bee the elr Irv accepted his gay son and enuraged him to love his brother remaed close to his brother, one of 16 siblgs, until his ath.

When a guy steps up and says, 'This is who I am, ' I guarantee you I'll give him 100 percent support, " Irv if the player produced on the field, he would have supported a gay teammate as well. "I believe, if a teammate had said he's gay, we would have tegrated him and kept movg bee of the closens, " Irv said, acrdg to the believ the team that won three Super Bowls uld have tegrated an openly gay teammate as well as any team.

Hall of Famer claims he's a womaniser bee his brother was gay... And says NFL is ready for first homosexual player Advote: Michael Irv pos half-naked on a gay magaze as he reveals his brother was homosexual A former Texas Cowboy star has revealed for the first time that his elr brother was a cross-drsg homosexual - and says that may have led to his womanisg of Famer Michael Irv also clared that the NFL is ready for s first openly gay retirg om the sport Irv has bee a passnate advote for gay marriage, and marked his latt revelatns wh a shirtls ont-ver appearance for a gay says the four major sports leagu will be 'stuck the Dark Ag' until a player out as said: 'When a guy steps up and says, "This is who I am, ", I guarantee you I'll give him 100 percent support.

MICHAEL IRV SAYS BISHOP TD JAK HELPED HIM DEAL WH GAY BROTHER

Irv said his brother's cross-drsg was never discsed among his fay, and throughout his reer he feared his homosexualy would be revealed.

NFL legend: Former Dallas Cowboy player Michael Irv, who today revealed his elr brother was gay, participat a tournament 2006 He said: 'Maybe some of the issu I've had wh so many women - jt brgg women around so everybody n see - maybe that's ridual of the fear I had that, if my brother is wearg ladi' cloth, am I gog to be dog that? 'In the terview, wh Out magaze, he scrib how rryg the burn of his brother's secret gave him an sight to how tough mt be for a homosexual athlete to hi his orientatn a locker said: 'I'm not gay, but I was aaid to even let anyone have the thought.

New reer: Michael Lev 2007, left, when he was selected to jo the Hall of Fame, and right, as a Dallas Cowboys player 1991 'If I'm not gay and I am aaid to mentn , I n only image what an athlete mt be gog through if he is gay. 'He also claimed he was so termed not to be seen as gay the locker room that he turned to said: 'Growg up, whoever had the most women and the nict r, he was the man.

MICHAEL IRV OPENS UP ABOUT TOLERANCE GAY MAGAZE

Is Michael Irv Gay? No, he is not gay.

MICHAEL IRV BACKS GAY RIGHTS "OUT" MAGAZE

He has supported same-sex marriage on his rad show and has said he's wag for an active player the NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL to clare publicly that he is gay. "Irv said rryg the burn of Vghn's secret giv him a ht of how tough mt be for a gay athlete to hi his orientatn a locker room. "If I'm not gay and I am aaid to mentn , I n only image what an athlete mt be gog through if he is gay, " Irv said.

"Irv said rryg the burn of Vghn's secret giv him a ht of how tough mt be for a homosexual athlete to hi his orientatn a locker room.

MICHAEL IRV: WHEN A GAY PLAYER OUT, I’LL SUPPORT HIM

Is Michael Irvg Gay? Now, Irv is lendg his voice to the fight for equaly, appearg on the ver of this month’s issue of Out, a gay men’s magaze. Irv says the article that his relatnship wh his brother Vghan, an openly gay man who died of stomach ncer back 2006, did a great al to mold his views on same-sex relatnships.

But wasn't somethg that was ever discsed among the fay, " says Irv, speakg for the first time about the gay olr brother he Irv's msage was simple: Michael was supposed to love his brother unndnally, no matter what he looked like or who he was. Most of all, he worried that he was gay. More than that, he's bee a passnate supporter of gay athlet and equal rights for same-sex upl.

MICHAEL IRV: GOD SAYS, GAY IS OKAY [VIDEO]

For two years, the pair has lved to gay issu; recent months, they have turned their attentn to the subject of athlet, ach, and team executiv g out of the closet. Now, Irv is wag for the day when Ameri has s first openly gay active athlete one of the top four profsnal sports leagu.

"Homosexualy wasn't exactly an issue that uld be discsed the football locker room, eher -- unls, of urse, was the form of the homophobic bile rife among his lleagu and iends. "I'm not gay, but I was aaid to even let anyone have the thought. If I'm not gay and I am aaid to mentn , I n only image what an athlete mt be gog through if he is gay.

MICHAEL IRV POS ON COVER OF GAY MAGAZE TO PROMOTE EQUALY

"And yet, Irv says, 15 years ago his champn team would have accepted a gay teammate on one ndn: that the player uld play. "I believe, if a teammate had said he was gay, we would have tegrated him and kept movg bee of the closens. And if that job lled for him to support a gay teammate and share his nnectn, he thks he uld have.

An off-duty Dallas police officer who traveled wh the Cowboys and worked secury at their hotels first told me that the 'word on the street' was that Aikman was gay. I didn't thk Troy was gay, but even if he had been, I thk we uld have handled . "Irv is certa that, light of today's relatively more enlightened attus, a team would have no choice but to embrace their gay teammate.

")So now that society has loosened up, is wrong for a gay player to hi his sexualy, or is he still entled to his privacy? "Irv wants to eradite homophobia every rner of Amerin society.

NFL’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER HONORED DURG LEAGUE’S AWARD SHOW

He pots to church that have skewed the word of God to persecute those who don't share their dogma; he shak his head at the black culture he says has gone adrift a sea of homophobia; and he said 's time to end the send class-cizen stat of gays the ey of the law. He hop openg closet doors for gay people will be a key chapter his life story. (Photo: OUT Magaze, July 2011)Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer Michael Irv has certaly e a long way sce his trouble-makg days as The ’s found God and has e to peace wh himself as a hband and has also gaed a tolerance for gay people and those who live alternative liftyl.

He creds the transformatn to his brother Vghn, who was a crossdrser whom Irv adms he was once ashamed former Cowboys wi receiver discsed his love for his brother and the tolerance he now has the latt issue of Out magaze, a gay publitn.

MICHAEL IRV BACKS GAY RIGHTS "OUT" MAGAZE

Other than lockouts, the hottt topic domatg sports headl this year uld very well be a topic long emed taboo locker rooms: gay rights. Athlet om every major sport have spoken out for and agast equal rights for gays. On one si, we've seen former Super Bowl hero David Tyree sayg gay marriage "will be the begng of our untry slidg toward, 's a strong word, but anarchy.

On the other si, we've seen Sean Avery and other pro athlet do public service announcements supportg gay marriage. On one si, we've heard Eagl wi receiver DeSean Jackson dismissg a rad ller wh a homophobic slur. And now, on the other si, we have probably the most high-profile athlete yet to support gay rights.

Former Cowboys star and Hall of Famer Michael Irv appears shirtls on the ver of Out - the most wily read gay magaze the world - to lend his support to gay rights. In the article, Irv reunts how he disvered his brother Vghn was gay the 70s when he found him wearg women's clothg. Irv says that revelatn fueled homophobic thoughts and had a negative impact on his relatnship wh women.