NBA Rumors: Jam Harn Tra Talks, Joel Embiid, PJ Tucker, Rudy Gay

Contents:

• DALLAS: 1ST BIG CY WH OPENLY GAY MAYOR?
• RUDY GAY EXPECTED TO DRAW TERT OM WARRRS, LAKERS, MAVERICKS, BULLS, PELINS
• NBA RUMORS: JAM HARN TRA TALKS, JOEL EMBIID, PJ TUCKER, RUDY GAY, LAKERS, WARRRS, BUCKS, MORE
• MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG FAC ANTI-GAY HECKLERS DALLAS

DALLAS: 1ST BIG CY WH OPENLY GAY MAYOR?

In each of his mpaign's four telephone polls, voters were remd of his extensive service to the cy and his background, cludg the fact that he is gay. I didn't know Ed Oakley was gay. If Oakley ws Saturday's noff electn, Dallas will bee the first top 10 cy Ameri to elect an openly gay mayor.

Cy currently wh an openly gay mayor is Province, R. But none of that sparked tert this electn like the ia of a gay mayor sudnly the gay factor is volleyg across the blogosphere.

"This has now bee 'the' issue the mpaign, " wrote Stt Bent, a June 11 postg to Even some liberals he'd spoken to said they were planng to vote for Leppert bee of the gay issue, cludg one sociale who didn't want the headl to blare that Dallas had bee the next San notn clearly upsets more than a few rints.

RUDY GAY EXPECTED TO DRAW TERT OM WARRRS, LAKERS, MAVERICKS, BULLS, PELINS

An anonymo robo-ller warned voters to beware an alleged "radil gay agenda" and the Herage Alliance, a nservative group, also ma lls cricizg Oakley for his homosexualy. It was immediately dismissed as basels; Dallas is a place that overturned s ban agast hirg gay police officers 1993, and later barred all such discrimatn hirg and hog. Leppert has apparently steered clear of the gay issue, and even cricized the Herage Alliance's phone all acunts, Oakley never tried to hi his sexual orientatn, but he didn't tmpet eher.

Oakley never styled himself as a "gay ndidate" and he don't advote for gay issu. Nohels, the natnal Gay & Lbian Victory Fund raised more than $80, 000 for his mpaign, and the Stonewall Democrats, a gay polil group, phed lol Democratic Party reps to break tradn and endorse Oakley what has always been a nonpartisan race.

NBA RUMORS: JAM HARN TRA TALKS, JOEL EMBIID, PJ TUCKER, RUDY GAY, LAKERS, WARRRS, BUCKS, MORE

Bh ready for a gay mayor? Dallas is a notch the Bible Belt of evangelil Christiany, where many nsir homosexualy to be immoral.

Two out of three Dallas County voters approved a ban on gay marriage wrten to the state nstutn many social nservativ live the 'burbs, and they n't vote this electn. And the cy self is home to a thrivg gay and lbian muny.

The Oak Lawn neighborhood the heart of gay Dallas even throws a r Halloween para, à la the much larger versn the Castro. The Dallas Conventn & Visors Bure says on s Web se that Dallas has the sixth-largt gay populatn the untry.

MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG FAC ANTI-GAY HECKLERS DALLAS

Dallas even has evangelil gays, and the Cathedral of Hope, said to be the world's largt gay church. Nash, head of the Internomatnal Misterial Alliance North Texas, which reprents predomantly black church, reportedly ma anti-gay remarks at a banquet Oakley attend Febary.

It's naïve to ny that the gay factor matters, Murphy adds. "If Oakley los, 's not necsarily bee he is gay. Remember, Leppert was the lear the first round when virtually no one the cy knew Oakley was gay, " utns Wilson, the polil scientist.

The latt polls show them a ad Oakley probably don't want to be known only as the "gay mayor, " his victory Saturday would clearly mark a change Texas polics.