New Orleans Saint Scott Fujita has come out publicly in full support of same-sex marriage. On Tuesday, the NFL linebacker reacted to Brendan Ayanbadejo’s column in support of same-sex marriage and saying in a couple decades it won’t be an issue anymore:
I hope he’s right in his prediction, and I hope even more that it doesn’t take that long. People could look at this issue without blinders on…the blinders imposed by their church, their parents, their friends or, in our case, their coaches and locker rooms…. I wish they would realize that it’s not a religion issue. It’s not a government issue. It’s not even a gay/straight issue or a question of your manhood. It’s a human issue. And until more people see that, we’re stuck arguing with people who don’t have an argument.
One NFL player supporting same-sex marriage is an anomoly; Two is quite nearly an epidemic. It’s surprising but fantastic to see these guys take such strong, positive positions on a controversial subject that they could easily back away from.
I’ve long thought (and polls have shown) that the NHL would be the most supportive of a gay player because of the mixing of cultures. Fujita is a great example of that. He’s white but was adopted at a very young age by a Japanese father and white mother. He was raised in a Japanese household and considers himself to be culturally Japanese.
on Oct 1st, 2009 at 10:43 AM
Good job Scott! Way to show that there are smart and open-minded people in professional sports afterall.
I guess he must not be a “Christian” or he would have to speak that you should “love the sinner” but “HATE the Sin” bullsh*t.
on Oct 1st, 2009 at 12:57 PM
I read a story about these two supporting marriage equality and thought there are 2 less morons in the NFL.
Kudos to both of them.
on Oct 1st, 2009 at 1:27 PM
Not a surprise with Fujita. Know someone who profiled him for a newspaper and he said Scott was very smart, articulate, well-read worldly etc.
on Oct 1st, 2009 at 4:14 PM
Courageous and honorable.
on Oct 1st, 2009 at 5:01 PM
Pretty much a hottie too
on Oct 1st, 2009 at 9:58 PM
I doubt him considering himself culturally Japanese makes him more accepting of gay marriage. Kind of an odd statement to make. And he’s right, a decade or two and people will begin to change how they view gays marrying. Baby steps.
on Oct 1st, 2009 at 10:29 PM
I actually knew this guy in college. He is extremely smart and everyone who knew him back then had a ton of respect for him. It doesn’t surprise me at all that he would say this.
on Oct 2nd, 2009 at 12:04 AM
Fantastic to see another athlete strip away the nonsense and talk about gay marriage in pure commonsense terms ….. and when the sky does not fall on his head , and god doesnt strike him down with a bolt of lightning maybe more people will slowly come to the realisation that this is , as he put it , ‘a human issue’ .
on Oct 2nd, 2009 at 8:03 AM
I don’t get the comment about the NHL. Are the Saints a hockey team?
on Oct 2nd, 2009 at 9:52 AM
Real men support Gay rights.
on Oct 2nd, 2009 at 12:03 PM
Cool! Kudos to Scott.
Joe Mustich, Justice of the Peace,
Washington, Connecticut, USA
on Oct 3rd, 2009 at 4:48 AM
OMG! He has an MA in education and a Political Science Degree from UC Berkeley. Someone to watch out for.
on Oct 3rd, 2009 at 11:47 PM
Politically cool and a hottie. What could be better?
on Oct 4th, 2009 at 9:48 AM
Wow! The world is really changing! Normally, the football jocks would be the first to bash gay and “not so masculine” guys but now, more of them are on our side! I think that Prop 8. won’t be permanent!
on Oct 6th, 2009 at 12:38 PM
From an interview Scott Fujita did with the Huffington Post:
SF: I think for me it was a cause that I truly believe in. By in large in this country the issue of gay rights and equality should be past the point of debate. Really, there should be no debate anymore. For me, in my small platform as a professional football player, I understand that my time in the spotlight is probably limited. The more times you have to lend your name to a cause you believe in, you should do that.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-zirin/why-i-support-the-nationa_b_310890.html