Tim Hardaway: From Homophobe to Ally

There’s an old saying that "When you know better, you do better.” When you know more about arithmetic, you’re better mathematician ... when you know more about cooking, you’re better in the kitchen ...when you know more about LGBT people, you’re a better person.

And that leads us to Tim Hardaway.

Hardaway is a former professional basketball player, and he’s been a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame three times. Three times the committee evaluated his career ... which includes five NBA all-star appearances, five All-NBA selections and a gold medal with Team USA in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and three times the committee found Hardaway's resume lacking because, while he’s had an illustrious career, he’s never had an NBA championship.

And he’s also said some things ... about gay people.

Ten years ago, during an interview, Hardaway responded to a question about former NBA center John Amaechi's decision to come out as a gay man, and Tim Hardaway said:

"Well, you know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don’t like gay people, and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States. So, yeah, I don't like it."

I hate. I hate. Those are the kinds of words that follow you around for a lifetime, especially when said without an ounce of remorse or shame. And Hardaway now says those words will haunt him until the day he dies:

"When I said what I said ... I still cringe at it when I think about it, and still hurts me deep inside that I said something like that because I gave people an opportunity to hurt people. That wasn't right ... each and every day when I talk to kids today and they bring it up to me or somebody brings it up to me, I say that was a very big mistake on my part. It hurts me to this day, what I said, and you know what? It's going to hurt me for the rest of my life, because I'm not that type of person. I feel bad about it and I'm always going to feel bad about it."

After the NBA leadership heard Hardaway’s comments, they banned him from its 2007 All-Star festivities, even though he was serving as an ambassador of the league. And, even given everything he’s done in basketball, it’s those words ... I hate ... that people remember most about Tim Hardaway.

But, like I said, when you know better, you do better ... and when Tim Hardaway heard himself brag about hating people, not caring about hating people, and realizing that his vocalized hate might have spurred others on to hate the LGBT community as well, he did better.

In the years since that interview, Tim Hardaway has become an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights, including working with The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that focuses on suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth. He was also the first signer of a petition to legalize same-sex marriage in the state of Florida. In 2011, he attended a rally in El Paso, Texas—where he had been a college star at UTEP—to support that city's mayor, John Cook, who was facing an attempted recall vote—which later failed—after allowing domestic partnership rights for gay and unmarried couples.

And then, in April 2013, when Jason Collins came out as gay and then became the first openly gay, active player in one of the four major American sports, it was Tim Hardaway who called to offer support.

Jason Collins:

"I have to say, I get asked what was the most surprising [phone call] after making my announcement, and, yes, getting the call from the President [Barack Obama] ... and all of that was surprising. But getting a call from Tim Hardaway is right up there, because I didn't know he had changed as a human being, as far as being what happened with his comments when Jon came out, and now becoming an ally. It shows the power of the coming out story. It shows the power of John Amaechi's story. Tim obviously said what he said and was met with a lot of criticism and was forced to look at himself in the mirror and has changed a lot. ... I'm glad I answered the call and heard his words."

Hardaway's change was noticed by Detroit Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy—a progressive voice in the NBA who publicly decried the election of President _____ citing his concern for minorities and women—who hired Hardaway to his staff as an assistant coach in 2014.

"I think what Tim had was a genuine change of heart. ... He had those feelings, he was forced to think about it, he changed his mind, he changed his heart, and there's been nothing like that since. As a matter of fact, he's gone out of his way to be supportive of the LGBTQ community. But the way he handled it to me speaks better of his character."

It is unclear whether or not Tim Hardaway’s change of heart will affect his chances of getting into the Basketball Hall of Fame, but Jason Collins hopes the upcoming decision will focus on Hardaway's distinguished career:

"With regards to the Hall of Fame, coming from an athlete, it's about basketball, and first and foremost it's about your contributions to the game and he was one heck of a basketball player."

This year's Hall of Fame winners will be announced before the NCAA championship game on April 3, and so maybe, this year, after learning, and knowing better, after doing better, Tim Hardaway might get some good news:

"You're on pins and needles. You don't know what the process is, who is voting, how they vote. You're just on pins and needles and you hope and you wish you get in. That's all you can do. I can't change nobody's mind. I can't do anything more than I have done. ... The only thing I can do is be Tim Hardaway, and be as positive as I can be, as I normally am, and let the cards fall where they fall."

And seriously, if you base it on his talents as an athlete, it should be, to use a basketball analogy—and look at me going all sports on your asses—a slam dunk.

And if you do choose to factor in a man’s private life, his private deeds, and his public actions, it should also be a no brainer.

Tim Hardaway knows better, and he’s doing better.

Chicago Trubune

Random Musings

Gosh, I wished I used regular mail more because next month the U.S. commemorative "Forever Stamp" honoring San Francisco political figure and LGBT activist Harvey Milk will be issued on Harvey Milk Day, May 22.

I may have to buy a sheet just to have it.

Dave Elliott, an anchor on Mississippi’s WLOX, thinks there are just too many LGBT folks and their stories on the news these days and he thinks we should all just take a vacation:

WLOX responded on its Facebook page by saying:

"We are not happy at all with the post or any imagined 'free publicity.' Dave made this post initially on his personal Facebook page, and you should look for him to address it on that same page."

I guess Dave Elliott might have wished the Black Community had taken a break from all that Civil Rights mess in the 60s? I mean, how dare we continue to fight for equality day in and day out when people like Dave Elliott are probably more interested in CNN's round-the-clock missing airplane coverage.

Elliott later apologized for what he called his "insensitive and unprofessional Facebook post.”

I think Elliott should take a Facebookation.

So, RuPaul’s Drag Race …

This week's mini-challenge was "The Read." Ru opened up the “liberry” and asked each dragtestant to throw a little shade on her competitors. Darienne took the Top Spot, and got to choose her team for the main challenge where the girls would be split into two groups, with each one delivering a short rap for a '90s-style rap song, "Oh No She Better Don't."

Sidenote: Oh no, she betta don’t has been my catchphrase for the week and my co-workers are ready to kill me; to which I say, Oh no, they betta don’t!

Back to the DR: the runway challenge this week was to show off some Crazy, Sexy, Cool fashion, so let’s break dance it down:

#1 Adore Delano. I don't adore Delano whatsoever, but she nailed the read, especially when telling Laganja that she should reverse her ‘death drop’ and just ‘drop dead.’ She also owned the rap part of the show, and she once again strapped herself into the corset for the runway but then she failed in the Floor-length Dress Challenge, by wearing some cheap looking sheer drapes that stopped at her ankles. Note to Adore: I don’t.

#2 Bianca Del Rio. I’m loving her and thought she would have nailed The Read — she said to Adore, “I know what you got on your SATs … ketchup! — because she’s as snarkastic as I but she failed that. And I was worried about her rap, which she kinda nailed, and then she brought it to the runway.

#3 I have to give props to Joslyn Fox for her read to Darienne:  "This is the girl who probably sits reverse cowgirl on the toilet just so she has a flat surface to eat off of." Her rap was good, but her runway was just a big old strappy mess, too much of a bad thing.

#4 My darling Ben De La Crème took a wee tumble. Her rap was not the best, the outfit even worse, and she totally missed the mark on Crazy, Sexy, Cool on the runway. I love her style, but I’d like to see her mix it up a bit.

Now for the Bottoms:

Courtney Act is relying on the pretty and I’m not the only one saying that. I don’t get drag queen. I get pretty girl from her, and that whole coming out in a blanket and ripping it off to show the bikini bod on the runway thing was all kinds of wrong.

Darienne seemed kinda mean this week and her rap was awful — dressed in shiny black trash bags — and her runway look was the furthest thing from Crazy Sexy Cool. It looked like a version of the same thing she’s done all season.

And Miss Trinity K. Bonet? She seemed so ready for the rap, but she sucked it like no one else; then she complained that she doesn’t sing, she lip syncs. Well, hunty, this is the DR, so step it mother**king up. I did like her Cher-Naomi Campbell runway look, and her lip sync was in sync, so no wonder she Sashayed to stay.

Which means ….

Good bye Milk. You weren’t the worst this week in the challenges, but when asked by the judges to bring some glam, you brought out a bed sheet? I loved your individuality, and find it odd that when you tried to conform, you got the Sashay. Plus, as a dude, you’re kinda cute.

What did YOU think?

Next week: Two! Two! Two eps in one night!

Over there to Missouri, state Representative Mike Colona has introduced a House Joint Resolution to repeal Missouri's existing ban on same-sex marriage:

"We passed the same-sex marriage ban 10 years ago, and I think so much has changed between then and now. I think more people understand that marriage is a basic right that the State guarantees."

 The state ban on same-sex marriage passed in 2004 with 71% of voters supporting and 29% opposing, but Colona thinks maybe the tide has changed enough to step forward.

Here’s hoping he’s right, though, but, yeah … Missouri.

I loves me some Fashion police, but last week's episode brought out some man candy in the form of one Victor Cruz, a wide receiver for the New York Giants. he was all kinds of sexy and cute and funny. Plus, the man has style!

Okay, so howsabout those Brooklyn Nets? 

Yeah, I know, you had no idea that I followed the volleyball! Well, I don’t but I heard that the Nets have been on a wild winning streak and have just made the playoffs. And, not to say this had anything to do with it, but the change for the better has come ever since the Nets signed openly gay player Jason Collins.

Just sayin’.

So, there’s actually a video game based on the Old Testament and, well, a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for it has failed miserably, so the makers of the game are looking for a scapegoat and think they’ve found it … in Satan. Really.

Richard Gaeta, a co-founder of Phoenix Interactive, argues that since the launch of the Kickstarter campaign to raise money for Bible Chronicles: The Call of Abraham, trouble has come into the lives of all the people in his company:

"I believe that, 100 percent. It's very tangible. From projects falling through and people that were lined up to help us make this a success falling through. Lots of factors raining down on us like fire and brimstone … If Satan is rallying some of his resources to forestall, delay, or kill this project, I think, this must be a perceived threat to his kingdom."

At least, this one time, they aren’t blaming The Gays.

And for some cool news ….

The producers of Broadway’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch have announced a charitable partnership with LGBT youth organization Hetrick-Martin Institute as part of the Broadway show’s run.

The musical will donate a portion of each ticket sale to Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School, where at-risk youth can learn without fear of physical or emotional attacks. According to a press release, the partnership "will also utilize the resources of the production, including representatives from the show meeting with young people in an educational and mentoring capacity, and additional fundraising support."

Since we may be in NYC this summer, I’d like to see this show and give back just a little. Plus, it’s NPH people!

Now that The Gays can legally wed in England and Wales, Elton John and David Furnish — who have been in a civil partnership since 2005 — are planning to get married in the UK this year.

Furnish explains the significance of marriage to his family:

"When it was announced that gay couples were able to obtain a civil partnership, Elton and I did so on the day it came into law. As something of a showman, [Elton] is aware that whatever he says and does, people will sit up and take notice -so what better way to celebrate that historic moment in time. Our big day made the news, it was all over the internet within minutes of happening and front page news the next day. [But] Elton and I both think there is a massive difference between calling someone your 'partner' and calling them your 'husband'. 'Partner' is such an impersonal word and doesn't adequately describe the love we have for each other. When Zachary and Elijah [the couple's sons] are grown up and having children of their own, they will – hopefully – be living in a world where everyone can be equal, when being married isn't about whether you're straight or gay, but simply about being human."

Happy news, and I cannot wait to see the pictures of that wedding, though David suggested that he and Elton will simply go to a registry office in England in May with their sons and a couple of witnesses.”

Damn, because I bet Elton would have made a spectacular groom!

And while we’re talking same-sex marriage, let’s congratulate Sara Gilbert, who married her fiancée Linda Perry over the weekend in California.

It's happening everywhere, y'all!

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Random Musings

Well, the powder room demolition has begun.

Last weekend, we tore out the sink and vanity, the toilet, and the tile flooring and baseboards.

We tried to save the vanity, in order to donate it, but it was nailed to the wall with roughly a hundred nails — seriously — so it kind of fell to pieces. But, we are giving the toilet, the sink, and a great many floor tiles that came up easily, to our local Habitat ReStore.

Next up, fix the floor; the vanity was placed on the sub-subfloor, then a plywood subfloor was laid on top, followed by a cement board, so the floor under the vanity is nearly two inches lower than the rest of the floor. And since we’re just putting in a pedestal sink, that all needs to be replaced.

Then it’s onto painting and tiling and new baseboards and new toilet and sin k and lights and artwork. As the painter in the house, I was going to paint it black — no judgments, I thought it’d be cool and how long do you spend in a powder room? — but then we found a beautiful gray tile, so now the walls will be tone-on-tone gray pinstripes.

Hand-painted by moi. Uh huh.

Even though back in April of 2013, when the Boy Scouts of America [BSA] began allowing gay kids under the age of 18 to participate in scouting, but maintained that openly gay adults could not be scout leaders, Walt Disney World [WDW] isn’t happy.

In fact, that BSA discriminatory policy has led Walt Disney World to discontinue funding the BSA through their annual “Ears to You” grant program until the policy changes.

Central Florida Council Board President Robert Utsey wrote:

“We recognize that many Scout Units have received financial support over the last several years from this grant opportunity and are sad to see it go. The National BSA Council has reached out to [Walt Disney World] to try to resolve the situation, however, according to WDW, their views do not currently align with the BSA and they are choosing to discontinue this level of support.”

Um, actually, Utsey, it’s the views of the BSA that do not align with Walt Disney World.

On the other side of the coin, however, the National Basketball Association [NBA] announced plans to donate the proceeds from sales of Jason Collins jerseys to the Matthew Shepard Foundation and the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network [GLSEN].

Collins, who is the NBA’s first openly gay player after signing with the Brooklyn Nets, wears the number 98 — in remembrance of 1998 when Matthew Shepard was murdered — and it has become the top seller on the league’s website.

On a side note: Jason Collins met Matthew’s parents, Judy and Dennis, when the Nets played in Denver last week.

The NBA has said that donations would total no less than $100,000, and that they will also auction off Collins’s autographed, game-worn jerseys to benefit the same organizations.

Good on the NBA. Too bad the BSA couldn’t be so accepting.

So, at the Oscars last Sunday night, host Ellen DeGeneres made a joke about the Liza Minnelli drag queen in the audience; it was the actual Liza, dusted off, dressed up, and shuttled to the show.

Well, Liza has answered the question as to how she felt about Ellen’s joke:

"I think she thought it would be funny but she never stopped after she said it and said, 'my friend Liza Minnelli'. So I think it went a bit astray on her. I don't think she meant any harm at all and she's a wonderful lady."

It was a joke because they have been Liza drag queens and Liza female impersonators everywhere — especially Hollywood — for the last forty years. And it’s the most attention Liza’s gotten since her last hip surgery.

I’m still in on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

This week, the rest of the queens arrived and were subjected to a photo shoot in a bed with four underwear clad hotties from the Pit Crew … Lucky bitches … and then a Party Themed Runway show.

My favorite this week was Milk, who actually wore a beard as part of her drag. It was a bit disconcerting, but I give her props for coloring outside the lines.

Still, after week 2, I am Team Ben DeLaCreme.

Speaking of TV …

Bates Motel is back, and Mistress Maddie has gotten me intrigued by a SyFy show called Bitten, about werewolves, though I’m less interested in the wolf part and more intrigued by the male nudity ass-pect.

We’ve also watched the first two episode of Mixolgy, a show about one night in a bar and the hookups, breakups, and makeups that ensue over the course of one evening. No gay couples so far, but I like the irreverent humor and the addition of Hot Blond Brit, Ron, as played by Adam Campbell [left], and Adan Canto [right], who plays hot Latin bartender, Dominic.

Plus, there’s a show coming up called Believe, which strikes me as a little like that Stephen King book, “Firestarter” though it might be good, and Resurrection, about people who die, and then come back years later, having not aged a bit. And no, thankfully, they are not zombies, or vampires, or werewolves. I think.

With the idea that the NFL might soon have its first openly gay player, in Michael Sam, the league is considering banning anti-gay and racial slurs, specifically the F-word and the N-word.

Seriously? This is under consideration? In 2014.

No wonder it’s taken so long to have a player come out as gay when the league seems to have been turning a deaf ear on racial and homophobic slurs for decades.

Crackpot Teabagger US Republican — of course — Representative Steve Stockman of Texas — again, of course — suffered a humiliating defeat in his GOP primary bid to unseat US Senator John Cornyn; the Teabagger got just 17% of the vote.

Wow, in Texas — yes, Texas — a Teabagger goes down to defeat. Of course, Stockman is the man who, last fall, gave every member of Congress a book calling for the impeachment of President Obama, and a year prior, in 2012, Stockman mailed his supporters the "Official Obama Barf Bag" because "socialism makes me sick." He also Tweeted a photo of himself lubricating a gun with a spray can labeled "Liberal Tears."

And he’s too crazy for the Texas ‘Baggers. Wow.

Also on the good news front, a new ABC/WaPo poll shows support for marriage equality nationwide has hit an all-time high, with fifty-nine percent of Americans saying they support same-sex marriage; just 34% do not support marriage equality.

And, 50% of all Americans believe that gay couples have a constitutional right to marry, and, on the heels of Don’t Serve The Gays in Arizona, a much larger majority says businesses should not be able to deny serving the LGBT community for religious reasons.

The march goes on, but it sure feels like the end is in sight.

Now, I take this news with a grain of salt, but if it pans out, well, I still won’t eat there.

According to newly-released 2012 tax documents, Chick-Fil-A ended nearly all of its corporate donations to anti-LGBT groups at the same time that homophobic statements from the company's CEO became national headlines. 

It seems that Chick-fil-A’s WinShape Foundation apparently reversed course in 2012, eliminating nearly all it’s grant-making to anti-LGBT groups and causes, though its separate Chick-fil-A Foundation still gave some $120,000 in grant donations, including $25,000 to the anti-LGBT Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

But, while in 2010 and 2011, Chick-fil-A’s corporate foundations increased their grants to anti-LGBT groups like the Marriage & Family Foundation and the National Christian Foundation, from $1.9 million to more than $3.6 million, neither of these groups received a penny in 2012.

From three million to nothing. That’s good news, no? But, lets’ remember, the CEO is a bigot and a homophobe, and anti-equality, and the company’s foundation still gives to anti-LGBT groups; and lets’ also understand that Chick-fil-A slashed corporate donations to all outside groups, not just the anti-gay ones.

So, yeah, still no chicken for me.

Random Musings

Texas? Texas? Texas? TEXAS? Why you gotta go and surprise us all like that?

Granted it was a judge and not the people of Texas, or their wack-a-doo governor, but still, this is big. And I, for one, did not see that coming.

We all know that crackpot Teabagger Texas Governor Ricky Perry nearly crapped his Depends when the ruling came down, but the funniest response of all is from ISBL Asshat of the Week winner, and longtime Teabagging Friend'o'Ricky's, Dan Patrick, hurriedly sent out a Tweet in response to the overturning of Texas' same-sex marriage ban. But, um, his response went like this:

He immediately deleted the Tweet and spent the rest of the afternoon clarifying what a big homophobe he is:

"Marriage is between one man and one woman. Period."

An hour later, he Tweeted this:

"MARRIAGE= ONE MAN & ONE WOMAN. Enough of these activist judges. FAVORITE if you agree. I know the silent majority out there is with us!"

And then this:

"oops! #twittertypo. We have a new job opening on our campaign: social media intern. Send resume to contact (at) http://danpatrick.org ... I want to re-emphasize my long held position: Marriage is between 1 man and 1 woman. Period."

Methinks he doth protest too much, but then maybe he hasn't found his Mister Right.

With all the hullabaloo in Arizona over their proposed--and yet newly vetoed--“Don’t Serve The Gays” bill, it's nice to see one little corner of the state instantly standing up to the discrimination.

The owner’s of Rocco’s Little Chicago Pizzeria have decided to take the spirit of the bill, only their position is slightly different; it isn’t The Gays they don’t want to eat their pizza, its Arizona legislators and posted this to their Facebook page:

“As a longtime employer and feeder of the gay community, Rocco’s reserves the right to eject any State Senators we see fit to kick out. That is all.”

Snap. Show on the other now, eh? How does discrimination feel?

Jason Collins recently became the first openly gay athlete to play in a professional sport in this country when he was signed to a ten-day contract with the Nets.

Ten days? Hopefully it will be extended and extended and extended …. But the big news is that requests for Collin’s jersey have so swarmed the NBA that they are now rushing it into release.

It’s about time. I’m thinking of getting a Collin’s jersey and then a Michael Sam one, too.

So, Ugandan President Museveni signed that bill penalizing homosexuality with life imprisonment into law.

Yup, bein’ gay is like bein’ a murderer in Uganda, y’all.

And, before he signed this ridiculousness, he actually suggested that the law was made necessary by arrogant western groups promoting a behavior that threatens Ugandans’ “way of life”. Then he qualified The Gays into three sets: recruiters, exhibitionists and mercenaries.

He also said he didn’t understand how men could fail to be attracted to Uganda’s beautiful women and, instead, are attracted to fellow men and …

Let’s stop. It’s because they’re gay you dipsh*t. Now, back to our regularly scheduled rant:

Then he paraded the mostly Ugandan scientists who concluded that homosexuality wasn’t genetic because these scientists probably don’t have one single active brain cell between them.

RuPaul’s Drag Race is back, y’all, and I am lovin’ me some queens.

While drag ain’t my thing—I sport a goatee and it just wouldn’t work unless my drag name was Bearded Lady … and we all know that’s Michele Bachmann’s drag name—but I love the camp and the art and the talent and the creativity of it all.

This week, my favorite Queen was the campy, fun and frisky Ben De La Crème, who, in the runway challenge where he was tasked with representing The Golden Gils, sashayed own the catwalk in a gown he said wasn’t so much sewn as crafted though “sweat and desperation.”

Ben won this first week, and let’s see if she can keep up with her Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent.

And, while I was waiting for Ru to start, I was channel surfing and came across TNT’s reboot — get it reboot — of Dallas and the sight of one Josh Henderson in a pair of skimpy, leave-nothing-to-the-imagination briefs.

Plus, his voice has that dripping with honey and bourbon kind of Southern drawl reminiscent of a much younger, oh so much hotter, Tommy Lee Jones.

I may not watch anymore of Dallas — it’s not quite my show — but if I do, I’m hoping for more Josh Henderson and boxer brief scenes.

Just sayin’.

Another show I also don’t watch is The 700 Club with that wack-a-doody Pat Robertson. But, whilst surfing the interwebz, I caught a small soundbite of Pat talking about Arizona and Don’t Serve The Gays.

And Pat, true to the mindnumbingly asinine mentality that he possesses began saying that he thinks business owners, all business owners everywhere, should be able to deny services to people they, and I quote, “don’t like.”

Yes, not just The Gays, but The Jews and the Blacks, The Muslims. If a business owner doesn’t like you they can just say, “Go away.”

But the scariest part of all is that, in support of his, um, for lack of a better word, argument, Pat noted that classic episode of Seinfeld, “The Soup Nazi.”

Yes, his justification is that they did it on a scripted comedy show.

Sit down, Pat, before you fall down.

Good news for the South …

Freedom to Marry, the national pro-gay marriage organization based in New York, has announced a new $1 million television ad campaign, dubbed Southerners for the Freedom to Marry, which will highlight prominent politicians and community leaders who back same-sex marriage.

Now, in all fairness, the ad campaign isn’t trying to win legislative support for same-sex marriage since every single state in the South has passed a constitutional ban on gay marriage, and the GOP dominates in almost all Southern state legislatures.  Instead, the campaign will push for public support for same-sex marriage.

Currently there are about two dozen lawsuits challenging bans on same-sex marriage pending before state and federal courts in Southern states, and Freedom to Marry hopes that building public support for same-sex marriage can influence those judges’ decisions. Just lately, in fact, judges in Oklahoma, Kentucky Virginia have struck down those state bans on same-sex marriage, though those rulings are stayed until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in.

But maybe, with a little grass roots push, we can get support building down here for full equality.

That’s sounds mighty nice, y’all.