John Amaechi responding to Tim Hardaway comments: 'His words pollute the atmosphere'

[Doondoo]

Former NBA center John Amaechi, who disclosed last week he's gay, said anti-gay comments by another retired player "demonstrate the need to continue the conversation."

Retired Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway said on a radio show Wednesday that he hates gay people, then later apologized for his remarks.

"I don't need Tim's comments to realize there's a problem," Amaechi told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday. "People said that I should just shut up and go away -- now they have to rethink that."

.......

"His words pollute the atmosphere," Amaechi said. "It creates an atmosphere that allows young gays and lesbians to be harassed in school, creates an atmosphere where in 33 states you can lose your job, and where anti-gay and lesbian issues are used for political gain. It's an atmosphere that hurts all of us, not just gay people."



http://www.rawstory.com/showarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fsportsillustrated.cnn.com%2F2007%2Fbasketball%2Fnba%2F02%2F15%2Fbc.bkn.hardawayremarks.ap%2F%3Fcnn%3Dyes

[faithnotgreed]

1. glad to hear this

ive been out of the complete loop on this but glad that amaechi responded as he did

and one thing that is very important - i really commend espn
not only have the featured john in the past week or so (they are publisher of his book) but they are also highlighting hardaways prejudice

good on them for the coverage

[soothsayer]

2. amen

[Dhalgren]

3. Very well said.

Hardaway should ask Amaechi for diction lessons. That's right, I said DICtion lessons...

[La_Fourmi_Rouge]

4. Amaechi is a strong advocate.

His interview with Jim Rome on The Jungle today was well-reasoned, thoughtful and concerned. He is a true role model. I hope this latest expample of homophobia in major-league sports wakes more people up to the results this attitude has on the street.

[Doondoo]

5. bump

[Guaranteed]

6. Oddly, I was just wondering what ever happened to this guy the other day.

Grew up watching him and Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond together.

Apparently, it really wasn't worth looking into.

[xchrom]

7. and mr amaechi is a real gentleman responding to

that piece of shit hardaway.

recommend

[faithnotgreed]

8. did you happen to see sheryl swoopes as well

the same espn guy interviewed her today and he was just as respectful and decent as he was with john amaechi
it was a great interview especially for espn

i commend both people/athletes - they are beautiful representatives of the human race and i very much appreciate espn providing a positive forum and supporting this needed discussion

[xchrom]

9. i love to hear news like that -- very cool.

[Duncan Grant]

10. Clearly a man who understands humanity.

"It's an atmosphere that hurts all of us, not just gay people." - John Amaechi

It amazes me that such a simple and true statement can go over the heads of many, many people...

[salin]

11. here is some unexpected... from rw radio - Beck was

excoriating Hardaway -- replaying the radio interview stopping to ridicule Hardaway.

Sometimes on the drive home I can find little to listen to - and do the 'what is the right saying now...' thing and limitedly listen to rw radio. Color me shocked as culterally insensitive Beck was RAILING on Hardaway. Even went so far as to say (sarcastically) that with the level of hate Hardaway expressed that he would never be hired in the future by anyone save the KKK - but that the KKK wouldn't hire Hardaway because they wouldn't hire a black person.

By that time I was home - surely if I listened longer he would have said something typically offensive (per Beck's regular MO) - but for the few minutes I was listening he was railing on the hate dripping from Hardaway's interview.

Bizarre - eh? But if Hardaway's comments were so offensive as to trigger a wingnuts diatribe against him... well if nothing else it is an interesting development.