A celebratory Kobe Bryant. (Photo: AP/Danny Moloshok)
BY ANNIE-ROSE STRASSER
ThinkProgress
Famous NBA player Kobe Bryant took to Twitter on Sunday to tell a fan to stop using ‘gay’ as an insult. After a man identifying as Michael on Twitter tweeted “you’re gay” at another person, the LA Lakers shooting guard called them both out in a tweet that elicited over 3,000 retweets and 2,000 favorites.
Compared to the hostility toward gay people in other sports, the NBA has been relatively progressive about LGBT issues. Just last week, Denver Nuggets player Kenneth Faried came out for marriage equality in his team’s state of Colorado. Major NBA figureheads, such as former All-Star Charles Barkley, have voiced support for same-sex marriage, acknowledging that, “I had gay teammates.” The NBA, of its own volition, even partnered with the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network to film a whole series of PSAs about not using ‘gay’ to insult someone.
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