Why such a big deal?

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by NeonSamurai

Even your remarks contain an anti-gay message (the Johnny, Joe, etc sentence).

Well, I don't agree wiith the lifestyle/sexual preference, but I'm not going to say they have no civil rights like everyone else. Every American should be equal under the constitution. What I, or anyone for that matter, thinks about homosexuality is, or at least should be, irrelevant. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, If being gay makes someone happy, more power to them. They have the right to live however they choose, and nobody's life choices and sexual orientation makes them special. Gay, straight, bi, beastality, whatever floats a person's boat, really is none of my business.

In my opinoin, there are things of far greater importance for news sources to report on, then some athlete's sexual orientation. I chaulk "soandso is gay" on the front page of any news outlet as being a result of this up to this reality TV, celeb worship, BS going on in society these days. It's all very petty, and unimportant.

[ReallyDedPoet]

In this day and age it is still big news ( sadly ), let's hope stories like this do eventually make it just another story.....
Not so long ago coming out was a big thing, then it became more of a common thing, this is another step for the LGBT Community.

[mookiemookie]

"Gee Rosa Parks, you act like no one has ever been asked to move seats on the bus. What's the big deal?"

If you can't see why this is a big deal, you're ignorant. Willfully or not.

Originally Posted by Ducimus

This was front page news on CNN. Call my crazy, but I don't think anyone's sexual orientation is newsworthy, let alone be on the front page. I could care less if Johnny, Joe, or Jimbob packs it up the poopchute or not. I really don't care about peoples personal decisions that have no bearing on my own life, liberty, etc etc.

The fact that this sort of thing is in the news, speaks volumes about the media, and quite possibly the people they pander to.

It speaks volumes about your own prejudices. You honestly can't see how the FIRST ACTIVE PRO SPORTS PLAYER to come out of the closet is newsworthy?

Jesus, Takeda is right.

[Cybermat47]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Every American should be equal under the constitution.

The constitution doesn't even mention marriage, so it doesn't really apply in this case.

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Well, I don't agree wiith the lifestyle/sexual preference, but I'm not going to say they have no civil rights like everyone else.

Many people do.

Every American should be equal under the constitution. What I, or anyone for that matter, thinks about homosexuality is, or at least should be, irrelevant.

And that's true, but unfortunately it's not the case. Life is not like the happy idealistic land where everyone's color blind and we all hold hands and sing about buying the world a Coke. Your opinion on homosexuality doesn't matter at all. But unfortunately, popular culture holds that homosexuals are deviants and not worthy of the same rights as straight couples. So given that fact, one's sexuality matters. It matters a great deal.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, If being gay makes someone happy, more power to them. They have the right to live however they choose, and nobody's life choices and sexual orientation makes them special. Gay, straight, bi, beastality, whatever floats a person's boat, really is none of my business.

Great. But society has chosen to make it their business by enacting laws and regulations that actively oppress gay people and deny them the same rights as straight folks.

In my opinoin, there are things of far greater importance for news sources to report on, then some athlete's sexual orientation. I chaulk "soandso is gay" on the front page of any news outlet as being a result of this up to this reality TV, celeb worship, BS going on in society these days. It's all very petty, and unimportant.

If only it were so. It would be unimportant if society was really and truly equal to those who were gay. It's not. So any step forwards that gay folks make is given special attention.

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

If you can't see why this is a big deal, you're ignorant. Willfully or not.

only the truly ignorant deal in such blatant absolutes.

its the typical "agree with me or your a poopoo head" mentality

its as big a deal as one chooses to make it. IMHO, it was a slow news day perhaps.

I havnt any problem with the guy being homosexual... i was eating a cheeseburger in a local venue when this came on the tv... the place was packed and the general mood of the place seemed to be a collective "meh"

my concern about this guys sexual preference is at a zero

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

only the truly ignorant deal in such blatant absolutes.

its the typical "agree with me or your a poopoo head" mentality

its as big a deal as one chooses to make it. IMHO, it was a slow news day perhaps.

I havnt any problem with the guy being homosexual... i was eating a cheeseburger in a local venue when this came on the tv... the place was packed and the general mood of the place seemed to be a collective "meh"

my concern about this guys sexual preference is at a zero

QED

Brace yourself, but your opinion on the matter means nothing. There's always going to be individual people for or against an idea. We care about individual instances more when they reinforce existing social problems because everything -- our thinking, our practice, our policy -- ultimately derives from our culture. One of the main methods to solve social problems is to change the culture by restricting and chipping away at the negative reinforcements.

This is something that confuses many people, who initially look at actions as discrete instances and not in a broader social context, or who don't hold that culture has a profound real-world effect.

The broader social institution holds that gay people are deviants, and not worthy of being able to marry or adopt kids, or any other number of actions that society doesn't blink an eye at when straight people are involved.

So to bring it home - why is it a newsworthy event when a pro sports athlete announced he's gay? Our culture has long decreed that straight men are macho hunter/gatherers and homosexuals are effeminate deviants who have no place in the "normal" world, much less the testosterone-driven sports world. For someone to come out and break that mold - the first person to do so - that's newsworthy.

Things that can seem like a "who cares" event when analysed in a vacuum can make perfect sense when you look closely at their context.

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

Brace yourself, but your opinion on the matter means nothing.

neither does yours

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

There's always going to be individual people for or against an idea.

fact

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

The broader social institution holds that gay people are deviants, and not worthy of being able to marry or adopt kids

of course there are some who think this... but i think the broader social institution doesnt hold that ideal. hell, all i have to do is look at all the equal signs on my facebook, many of them posted by baby boomer white christians i would never have guessed to be supportive of anything not printed in the bible... i dont care what the bleeding hearts have to say... every person out there isnt a foaming at the mouth gay hater.

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

So to bring it home - why is it a newsworthy event when a pro sports athlete announced he's gay?

its not

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

Our culture has long decreed that straight men are macho hunter/gatherers and homosexuals are effeminate deviants who have no place in the "normal" world

some of them are effeminate deviants

does that make them sub human? no

i know a couple of them who could out-hunt most hunters i know in the freezing ass cold too

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

Things that can seem like a "who cares" event when analysed in a vacuum can make perfect sense when you look closely at their context.

it is apparently a major event for you

its a minor event for me

im not going to bash the guy for being gay... its not a big deal. for the most part the response by the fans and other players has been "your gay?... ok well can you still sink it from the three point line?"

who cares...

in the world news this week lots of neat stuff happened... yet another gay celebrity type figure ranks pretty low on the list for me.

then again... this could have a lot more to do with the fact that im not even remotely a fan of basketball and thus wouldnt care to begin with.

i guess the point im trying to make is that we as a society have to stop making this sort of thing a big deal. sure, there will always be gay haters... just like there will always be racists.

i'm just as quick to hold the door for a little old black woman as i am for a little old white woman etc etc

and i have been just as quick to yes ma'am a clear and obvious cross dresser

i have said it before and i will say it again, in my life i have rubbed elbows with a lot of different folks - perhaps thats why i feel the way i do about the subject

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Cybermat47

The constitution doesn't even mention marriage, so it doesn't really apply in this case.

It doesn't matter because this isn't a question of legal equality, but of overall public opinion. It doesn't have to do with law but with opinion, so you're right.

I only address your comment about our Constitution not mentioning marriage. The Constitution doesn't mention a lot of things, and it's chief creator, James Madison, didn't want a Bill Of Rights at all, because he believed that all rights belong to the people and none to the government, and he was afraid that if he forgot to mention anything then somewhere down the road would say that they left one thing or the other out, so it's not covered. This has happened more than once when strict Constructionists argued that there is no Right to Privacy, because the Constitution doesn't mention it. Madison was aware of that possibility, so when he finally caved in to pressure and sponsored the Bill of Rights he added in the Ninth Amendment, which says

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

[vienna]

There is a strange self-deception in major American sports that only straight males are players when in all probability there have been many atheletes in various sports, both 'superstars' and journeymen who were/are gay or bi while playing on their teams. GLBTs are estimated to account for about 10% of the total U.S. population, so, logically, at one time or another, there have been gays in sport. My opinion is, if they can do the job, who cares what they do in their private life. And being gay or bi would just be their private life if some rather narrow minded people would have made an issue if it in the first place...

I seem to recall Mike Piazza, when he was with the Mets (baseball) called a news conference to deny he was gay. The press was puzzled because there really hadn't been any widely known claims he was gay. Very strange...

As far as Collins being the first to acknowledge his sexual preference as a major sports athelete, isn't there already a player, or players, in the NFL who is/are openly gay? I seem to recall one of the NFL quarterbacks quietly coming out a few years back...

People are people, some born one way and some born another. Gays are born the way they are (contrary to the screeching fundamenatalists) and they mainly try to live life as productive, contributing individuals. Leave them alone and let them live in peace like the rest of us...

<O>

The fact that this sort of thing is in the news, speaks volumes about the media, and quite possibly the people they pander to.
__________________

Its true, the media should only report real news like how poofs cause hurricanes and terrorism.

[Jimbuna]

Some great answers here IMHO and I've certainly learned a thing or two regarding the American society perspective.

My own opinion....so what, simply live and let live.

[Lord Justice]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

My own opinion....so what, simply live and let live.

Most posts laid upon you, will result in such good natured eyes. But, were I to conform to your inclinations, or consult your fancy instead of my own judgement, and who can be a judge of said matters but myself, I fear would subject myself to a bore probability of becoming content. Which on this subject I choose to decline.

[Wolferz]

What happens in private should remain in private.

The only thing I find wrong with the LGBT agenda is that the subject is constantly thrown in your face whether you want to hear about it or not.

I guess they just want to add sexual orientation to the equal rights creed. But, I think the moral majority may never accept it and will continue their holier than thou descrimination.
Give the media enough time and they'll hammer the square peg in the round hole.

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

neither does yours

Right. It doesn't. But I didn't make that statement to get into a "you too" back and forth, and I didn't make that statement to really attack your opinion personally. I was simply making the point that one individual's opinion is of little consequequence when taken in the context of society's as a whole.

of course there are some who think this... but i think the broader social institution doesnt hold that ideal. hell, all i have to do is look at all the equal signs on my facebook, many of them posted by baby boomer white christians i would never have guessed to be supportive of anything not printed in the bible... i dont care what the bleeding hearts have to say... every person out there isnt a foaming at the mouth gay hater.

I agree that a lot of progress has been made and gay people are becoming more and more accepted. But it's kind of a case where "this is a big news story until the day that it isn't." As long as there's still laws on the books that discriminate against gay folks, this is gonna be a news event.

it is apparently a major event for you

its a minor event for me

The same can be said about a lot of events that are objectively newsworthy. I may not care much about, say, a story like this: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013...-in-calif?lite

But you may care about it more as it involves private aviation. So that doesn't mean it's not newsworthy.

in the world news this week lots of neat stuff happened... yet another gay celebrity type figure ranks pretty low on the list for me.

And that means we're making progress as a society as a whole. If only that were the case for more people.