TOONING OUT

Shaquille O’Neal Unnecessarily Criticized Over “Homophobic” Facebook Post

shaq-facebook2012 brought its fair share of athletes going off on homophobic rants — whether sporting some insulting eyeblack or tweeting derogatory remarks — but with a new year comes a new chance for feet to be placed unceremoniously in mouths and the bodies to which they are attached to be taken to task.

Shaquille O’Neal is the latest sportsman to be raked over the coals after he posted a cartoon on his Facebook regarding proper urinal protocol with the comment, “This is an automatic fight in my book…….LMFAO.”

The post sparked some controversy, with some beacons of society claiming Shaq himself was gay (“Thats because he wants something gay”) and others taking it as an attack on gay people (“Glad to know you like to start hate dialogue against gay people shaq just lost a fan here”).

Towleroad described the cozy urinator’s walk as “swishy,” as did some commenters (“He walks funny, too!! – Notice his arms!?!”). Looks more like a jaunty stroll than anything to us, but over 1,000 comments later, the post has been removed.

While Shaq, as Outsports pointed out, has a history of LGBT advocacy, his post reveals the anti-gay sentiment of others who would read so deeply into something as innocuous as a cartoon. The cartoon is not homophobic, unlike people’s reactions to it. So it’s probably for the best that it was taken down.

As for those who claim the former basketball star is homophobic for posting the cartoon, pull up a chair and just take a seat. Anti-gay comments should not be tolerated from anyone, but there’s a difference between being a bigot and being facetious.

And honestly, it’s just common courtesy to give someone some goddamn space when peeing in public. Gay or straight, no one likes someone breathing down their pubes when they’re trying to drain the lizard. And if you do, well, that’s what a stall and a foot-tap are for.

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