PAPER ROUTE

Chris Kluwe Quits Pioneer-Press Blog After Paper’s Editorial Supports Marriage Ban

America first learned Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe was an ardent supporter of gay rights, and marriage equality in particular, when he wrote a fiery letter blasting anti-gay politician Emmett Burns.

And he’s continued to be an advocate for the LGBT community via his “Out of Bounds” blog on the St. Paul Pioneer-Press website.

But now Kluwe is dropping his blog like an incomplete pass after the newspaper published an editorial on Minnesota’s upcoming marriage amendment that he says is an “obfuscation and selected presentation of arguments.”

On Tuesday, Minnesotans will vote on a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. And though the Pioneer-Press says it’s not taking a side on the issue, the editorial in Friday’s paper sounds pretty loaded to Kluwe (and us):

The argument that the amendment is unnecessary because the current law is not and will not be at risk is misguided, as evidenced by Iowa, where the state supreme court has already overruled the legislature’s definition of marriage…

Supporters of traditional marriage are not wrong to point out that religious groups who have refused to make their facilities available for same-sex couples have lost their state tax exemption and that religious groups have been forced to close their charitable adoption agencies as a result of having to choose between fulfilling their social mission and acquiescing to a new definition of marriage. And that whenever schools educate children about marriage they will have no choice but to teach it as a genderless institution.”

In a series of tweets, Kluwe essentially called  shenanigans on the newspaper’s “not taking a side” claim:

“My main issue with the Pioneer Press editorial is this: It’s a lie. I have no problem with them taking a position I disagree with. What concerns me is them presenting a completely biased piece (word choice, examples used, conclusions) as a neutral position. That’s not only irresponsible journalism, it’s massively hypocritical.”

On Saturday morning, Kluwe tweeted that he would not “be associated with any organization that tries to pull some bullshit like that.”

Chris, if you need a new platform for your views, know you always have a home here at Queerty.

 

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated