A professional football team in Vancouver felt the cold sting of homophobia on its Facebook page this week after showing support for the city’s annual gay pride parade.
On Sunday, August 3, the Facebook profile photo for the BC Lions had changed to incorporate the rainbow flag for one short day while LGBTs marched through downtown Vancouver.
As expected, a large group of “oppressed” white heterosexual men (and some self-described “Christian” women) flooded the photo’s comments section with poorly worded threats and paragraphs bemoaning this “special attention” gays were receiving in a “sports” space.
The Editors at OutSports gathered those that ushered in the most lulz:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve”
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“My sexual preference, religion and politics have NOTHING to do with the CFL and vice versa! Not impressed with this PR stunt.”
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“If I wore a tee saying “Proud to be Straight” I would be ridiculed! Just saying think about it…..it’s not politically correct.”
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“So lets see if I have this right… someone doesn’t agree with you so they automatically get labelled as ” haters ” ( even though they don’t hate you, they just don’t agree with you ) and ” homophobic ” which is a pretty ridiculous statement as a phobia is a debilitating fear that causes you to lose control of your faculties and thought processes. Excuse me if I find the thought of one man sticking his penis up another man “pooper ” ( to put it politely ) repulsive. I does not mean that I am afraid that I’m going to become a homosexual if I end up being in the same room as them nor do I want to cause them ill will. So all you ” ignorant heterophobic haters ” ( see how dumb that sounds ) can stop crying foul just because there are people who don’t agree with you and don’t feel like we have to support you.”
But what really speaks volumes here is the fact that the BC Lions did not even address their obscene ridiculers, and more importantly, that the Pride logo received many more likes than the original team logo, which was re-uploaded the following day.
The amount of supportive comments versus unsupportive comments is downright inspiring. Facebook user Gail Reed chimes in with one of many san opinions delivered in the photo’s comment section:
I am shocked at some of the comments here. “When’s straight day?” “Soooo disappointed…” and so on and so forth. There are so many cities out there in this world, where ppl have to hide their orientation for fear of being disowned, or worse. Gays are still persecuted and still lack a lot of human rights that the rest of the population enjoy. So, until that time when they are afforded the same rights, I see nothing wrong in organizations showing their support and showing that it is nothing to be afraid of, or ashamed of. Showing the rainbow colours and allowing a parade, serves as a platform for the LGBT community to celebrate and not hide their orientation. I’m all for it. GO LIONS!!
So hurry up and cover your “pooper,” straight folk! We’re coming for NASCAR next!
Saint Law
“and stop crying foul just because there are people who don’t agree with you and don’t feel like we have to support you.”
Given that the hater spent the preceding eight lines of his diatribe doing exactly this, the lack of self-awareness displayed here is almost zen.
doug105
The CPC-Christian Persecution Complex is a form of delusion where Christians believe that they are the victims of persecution – quite often while the sufferer is involved in bigoted behaviour towards others themselves.
Martyrbation: the act of declaring oneself a victim to win an argument when confronted with facts or ridicule often accompanied by CPC-Christian Persecution Complex.
The christian persecution complex, or CPC, is very common in America. It is driven by the need to dominate the political and social landscape. Born of a fundamentalist christian worldview, it strives to claim discrimination against christian’s in all form and manner. Regardless of the “moderation” of any one particular denomination, the idea of christian persecution is drilled into the heads of the faithful from day one. Fundamentalist mentality leaches into the god groundwater, slowly contaminating the “moderate” viewpoint, and sucking them into all the drama surrounding today’s persecution rhetoric, like the “War on Christmas”, “Prayer In Schools” and “Christian Nation”. You’d think that we were once again feeding christian’s to lions. The fact is that America does not persecute christian’s. To the contrary. The christian’s are the ones who persecute anyone that doesn’t agree with them, and their doctrine of subservience to a mythological entity.-theamericanheathen
Paul Nadolski
God did not make Adam and Eve. That never happened. In fact the entire book of Genesis is nothing but a fairy tale. Sorry if that offends anyone but it’s the truth.
redcarpet30
These assholes have been really coming out of the woodwork lately. I was on a facebook group for Mass Effect (a video game known for having lesbian and gay romance options, really one of the very first)and one picture featuring two male charecters kissing caused a day long shit storm just like this (“ew, warn me before you post that shit” or “this isn’t a place for politics” or “I don’t get a straight pride!”)
michael mellor
Sometimes there is too much concentration on identity politics. It serves to divide while claiming to be about inclusiveness.
This is the great irony of the gay rights movement: it segregates in the name of equality.
ait10101
@michael mellor: Not really. People who oppose the gay rights movement are the segregationists. They would rather not see us.
Thad1527
But what else would we expect from the BC Lions – the organization that introduced the world to fabulous Pamela Anderson?! She was at a Lions game in her hometown of Vancouver; the camera captured her and put her onto the Jumbotron at BC Place, and the legend began.
Although I’m crazy about Saskatoon Roughriders’ fans. the most fun people you’ll ever meet…I salute the Lions and am delighted to note the positive reaction to their support for Gay Pride in Vancouver. Hockey’s Stanley Cup has been to Gay Pride (in Chicago in 2010). It’s always encouraging to see acceptance of gay people in the sports world.
jasentylar
I have never understood why anyone is surprised by these reactions. Is it news? I don’t think so. People disagree with each other ALL THE TIME. Nothing unusual about that.
jd2222248
Do all people have to like gay people? People are entitled to their beliefs and opinions.
ontheupandup
I think it’s pathetic when anti-gay straights use sex acts–even ones in which MILLIONS of straight people engage in as well (anal sex is NOT just for the gays!) as their basis for slamming an entire segment of the population. Bullsh*t excuse for plain ol’ bigotry.
Xzamilio
People are entitled to their beliefs and opinions… Yes.
But that is a red herring argument, as the argument masquerades as something it is not. The subject in that statement is “entitlement”, and that is not the issue. Being “entitled” to an opinion does not make that opinion immune to scrutiny or being challenged. You’re entitled to your opinion? Great… well, I can challenge that opinion or dismiss it as ridiculous.
jerzeeshadow
One time I had a discussion with my parents on the gay lifestyle (which my parents are supportive of me btw) and my dad’s response to my mom’s devil advocate would be a great reply to any who wants to discriminate from a religious standpoint: when she said “people say God made Adam and eve, not Adam and Steve,” he said,”well what about eve and Jessica?” That’ll shut anybody up. Lol
jasentylar
@Xzamilio: Thank you. We all are entitled to disagree with one another or agree. The response that you’re responding to is about the shock that is being expressed that people would feel differently than we do. It’s like going to a Black Panther member’s house and being dismayed by the uber art/literature concerning cultural extremism and civil disobedience. Someone’s reason for feeling some type of way is open to criticism once made public. All I’m saying is why be shocked that they feel some type of way.
Kangol
Homophobia and homophobes strike again! They’re the problem, not us. Being ourselves is the solution, not conforming their warped, hateful perspective.