It was probably only a matter of time before a backwards, homophobic bigot showed us just how out of touch certain segments of America are by turning Michael Sam's admirable coming-out story into an ugly political issue.
We swear this isn't satire.
From Rebecca Shabad at The Hill:
Washington lobbyist Jack Burkman on Monday said he is preparing legislation that would ban gay athletes from joining the National Football League (NFL).
Burkman in a statement said he has garnered political support for the bill, though his statement didn’t mention any specific lawmakers who are behind it.
And this is an actual quote, as far as we can tell:
”We are losing our decency as a nation,” Burkman said in a statement. "Imagine your son being forced to shower with a gay man. That’s a horrifying prospect for every mom in the country. What in the world has this nation come to?”
Horrifying? If indeed 2-10 percent of the American population is openly gay, it's pretty much a guarantee that all of those sons have already showered with gay men. What's most laughable is the implied notion that gay athletes would inevitably be physically attracted to the sons in question.
Even if this bill were lawful — which I can't imagine it is — it's hard to imagine more than a few extremely despicable, prehistoric lawmakers would publicly support it. Based on current trends, that would have to be considered career suicide.
It's so ridiculous that you have to wonder if it's a publicity stunt. Even if that's the case, taking a human being like Sam and using his sexual orientation for political or financial gain is as low as it gets.
This country has a long way to go, but at least Sam is causing us to realize who's on the right path while weeding out those who history will soon display in a light similar to the way we now view white supremacists from half a century ago.
