IN A RECENT interview with the Tampa Tribune, former Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungy remarked that he would not have drafted Michael Sam, the openly gay seventh round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams. “Not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play,” Dungy said, “but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it.”
Several commentators said that in questioning Michael Sam’s draft status, Dungy was forgetting the struggles that blacks had to endure in order to get into the NFL. They said, in essence, that gay is the new black.
Dungy later clarified his comments, saying the “it” he referred to in his comments was the media circus that would come with Sam. Unfortunately, the clarification was too late for the Twittersphere.
Dungy was called homophobic and hypocritical. He was called cowardly and hateful. However, there was one viewpoint I found particularly interesting.
Several commentators said that in questioning Michael Sam’s draft status, Dungy was forgetting the struggles that blacks had to endure in order to get into the NFL. They said, in essence, that gay is the new black.
What do you think? Is the gay rights movement the same as the African American Civil Rights Movement? In other words, is gay the new black?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Solomon Jones is an Essence bestselling author and award-winning columnist. He is the creator and editor of Solomonjones.com. Click here to learn more about Solomon
