Another NFL Player is Stepping up for LGBT Equality
October 7, 2009 by Emily Witko, Sports Media Intern @ GLAAD
Scott Fujita, a linebacker for the currently undefeated New Orleans Saints, spoke candidly in an interview for the Huffington Post about why he is supporting the October 11th National Equality March for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender rights in Washington DC.
Fujita is not the first NFL player to speak out for the LGBT community. On September 2, 2009, GLAAD wrote that Brendon Ayanbadejo, a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, expressed his support for marriage equality. Ayanbadejo predicts that “we will look back in 10, 20, 30 years and be amazed that gays and lesbians did not have the same rights as everyone else.”
Fujita says that he agrees with Ayanbadejo’s prediction, and explained to the Huffington Post that this is a cause he truly believes in, for several reasons.
Fujita was adopted as a child, and recently, he remembers being angered by legislation that was being proposed in Arkansas, which would make it impossible for single parents to adopt. He reasoned that this initiative was also aimed at denying adoption to same-sex couples, thus reducing the number of possible safe, loving homes for children. Fujita is shocked by the idea that “the concern with one’s sexual orientation…outweighs what’s really important, and that’s finding safe homes for children, for our children.”
Also, Fujita was asked if he was concerned that his support for marriage equality would lead to rumors regarding his own sexuality. With confidence, Fujita responded that he has “no concern about that whatsoever. I know who I am.”
Finally, Fujita expresses hope for the future by remaining optimistic about his quieter colleagues: “I know for the most part, guys are a lot more tolerant than they get credit for but they’re not comfortable yet speaking out about it. It’s going to come in time. By in large, it’s an opinion that’s shared by more people than are realized.”
Here’s hoping the courageous efforts of Fujita and Ayanbadejo will soon allow for more players to lend their voices in support of marriage equality.
[...] former professional hockey player Justin Bourne joined the ranks of Brendan Ayanbadejo and Scott Fujita in speaking out for LGBT equality. Bourne voiced his concerns about the treatment of LGBT people to [...]