Columnist doesn’t want to see men kissing

by Jim Buzinski.

   Let’s give David Whitley of MLB Fanhouse the award for “Most Homophobic Column Written By a Guy Who Claims He’s Not Homophobic.” Whitley penned an offensive piece of drivel where he discussed how bothered he was by the St. Louis Cardinals possibly showing a same-sex kiss on “Kiss Cam.”

I’d like to take the socially enlightened high road on this one, but I can’t help sympathizing with that father who’ll be sitting next to his son or daughter at Busch Stadium.
“Daddy, why are those two men kissing?”
“Umm, err, hey isn’t that Albert Pujols coming to bat?”
If you have similar qualms, does that make us homophobic? I’d like to think not, but then I’ve never sat in a gay person’s seat during “Kiss Cam.” … I’m not ready to discuss same-sex relationships with my 3-year-old. I don’t think she’s ready, either.

   Bravo to Jon Bois of SB Nation who gave the perfect response to Whitley:

I don’t have a kid. If I did, I imagine the conversation would go something like this.
“Daddy, why are those two men kissing?”
“They probably love each other.”
“Oh!”

   Children are not born homophobic; it’s a learned response. Bois’ response would make sense to a child who asked a simple question and got a simple answer from his dad; it would be a great chance for a parent to teach about tolerance. But to Whitley it’s too icky to discuss, so he would just change the subject and introduce to the child that’s there’s something wrong with two men kissing. It’s how the seed of homophobia gets planted. I wonder what he would say to two of my dearest friends, J.P. and Matt, loving parents of a 2-year-old and a 3-month old.
   Of course, he spends a lot of his column twisting himself in knots about how he has gay friends and relatives and wouldn’t mind if his daughter grows up and marries another woman. It’s an echo of the old “some of my best friends are black” stuff heard from white people during the Civil Rights era. These types don’t mind those “different” from them, they just wish they knew their place and weren’t so demanding about their rights; better to wait until Middle America is 100% accepting (which is, of course, never).
Whitley’s message is simple: You gays stay in the closet until I feel comfortable with it and my child gets older.

 see more at Out Sports.
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