As soon as we saw two men kiss on TV it was a foregone conclusion that the backlash would be tremendous. There are people who are simply must have the world completely aligned with their wishes. If this does not occur they will lash out. They will torture little boys who looked at a white girl. They will drag people down the highways until they are a bloody pulp. They will shoot doctors.
I am happy that I live in a world where a 24 year old black man from Galveston, TX feels secure enough to kiss his boyfriend on what he knows will be national and international TV. I hope that this bravery provides an shining example for everyone who has up until now been afraid to express their love in a fashion that open to straight community.
I am also saddened that it only took a few days for some in the media to engage in a full on attack of this couple. To wit the NY Daily News has an article titled Michael Sam's boyfriend Vito Cammisano comes from line of Midwest mobsters.
From the article
Vito Cammisano...is the grandson of the late Mafia boss William (Willie the Rat) Cammisano
...
His father...ended up doing 14 months in prison for running a Kansas City-based gambling ring, according to records.
...
But on Saturday the Cammisano name became part of a feel-good sports story of the year when Sam became the first openly gay player drafted by an NFL team as Vito proudly stood at his side.
So the takeaway is in the NFL the scandal is that this kid who grew up in clearly difficult circumstances, not the indicted rapists or player who torture animals for fun. No, lets attack the kid who, despite having his father in jail, still managed to do exactly what was expected of him. He was an athelete, graduated from school with a degree in communication, get a job, and formed a stable relationship This person, somehow, does not deserve to be on TV when his boyfriend is drafted?
Clearly, if anything shows how backwards the bigots of the world are, this is it. A child is not responsible for the actions of his parents. A young person like Vito who apparently has done everything the world would expect should not be ridiculed because he comes from a family that some would consider less than ideal.
It makes no sense. These two young men have both fought their way to a life that from the outside looks pretty sweet Maybe that is what the bigots are really upset about. Michael has pulled himself out of very difficult circumstances into what may be a very promising career. Vito seems like a very capable person who seems like a good partner. I sometimes think that when a bigot see a successful couple like this, they believe that something has been stolen from them and their children. The might think, how many equally qualified straight players have been denied a place on the field because this inherently unqualified player got preferential treatment because of politically correct quotas?