Rev. Ken Hutcherson, former (and brief) linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys and current pastor for Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, WA is getting some attention now because of his recent statement that gays don't have a place in professional sports. He claims that out gay men would make their teammates uncomfortable. He stated, "It would be safer for the team and the individual if they didn't come out." Hutcherson is also working to appeal Washington state's domestic-partnership registry because he does not feel that gay rights should be considered equal rights. "It's not a civil rights issue like with racism -- there's no comparison,” he wrote on his blog. "I can't change being black… but there are a lot of people, especially in our churches, that have changed being gay."WTF? It is unfortunate that people like this actually do have a following. At the vehemently homophobic site americansfortruth.com, they brag about how Hutcherson pursuaded students to boycott the 2008 Day of Silence of Mt. Si High School in Redmond, Washington. The Day of Silence is a day when students use their voice (or lack thereof) to raise awareness to anti-gay harrasment, bullying and name-calling. So in essence the Hutcherson boycott of the Day of Silence was a statement that this behavior [the type of behaviour that caused two young boys to take their own lives this year] is okay.
It is discouraging to learn that brothers of influence hold such homophobic and ignorant beliefs. It does bring joy to know that we still have allies in places like the NAACP. Julian Bond has promised that his organization will be an ally in the fight for LGBT equality. Let's hope bad apples like Hutcherson don't start to spoil the whole bunch.
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