Recently Carl Nassib came out as a Gay NFL player. As an older Gay man I was happy to hear this, but upon closer inspection, also disappointed. There were two different aspects of this story that bother me. One is that NFL player Michael Sam never got the coverage that Nassib received. Nassib will never understand the hatred that one receives when you are both Black and Gay. Nassib has lived a sheltered life in the Philly suburbs to parents who were very successful. Michael Sam struggled to overcome great personal odds, including poverty, racism, and parents who were very religious. But it gets worse upon closer inspection. As it turns out Carl Nassib is a Republican who at the very least appears to be quite tolerant of Donald Trump. A picture of Nassib on Twitter shows him with an American flag bandana wrapped around his head next to a friend with a Trump shirt.
I am not someone to condemn a person who wishes to adhere to a different political party. That is the nature of a democratic system. After all, it was not that long ago when the Democratic Party was associated with racism. Republican Representive Kenzinger is admirable in his open defiance of Trump. But he is the exception to the rule. Given the policies and right wing judges appointed by Republicans, it is clear that right now LGBTQ and election rights are negatively impacted by the Republican party and their ability to appoint judges.
I don’t hate Carl Nassib. I don’t fully know his political positions. And Hate is a horrible emotion. As he comes out, hopefully he will overcome his sheltered life and come to understand the struggles of the average Gay person. As Buddhist scripture notes: “Hate has never dispelled hate. Only love dispells hate.” But when I see people like Carl Nassib and Peter Thiel supporting the Republican Party, I am reminded of the power of white wealth and privilege. Of course reactionaries on Twitter condemn Progressives as “hypocrites.” Not so ironically, many of these same people have openly been hostile to equal rights for LGBTQ people.
And good for Nassib in sending 100K to the Trevor Project. Wish he would send more given his 25 million contract over 3 years. But that is more then Peter Thiel has ever done in his life. I hope they will accept the money, but graciously talk to him about the hurdles of people who are not white, wealthly, or educated- and how this ties into the high suicide rates of LGBTQ people.