Former Miami Heat player, Tim Hardaway was embraced by gay community after homophopic comments made several months ago.
Hardaway's comments were
"Well, you know i hate gay people, so let it be known. i don't like gay people and i don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. i don't like it. He also said he would not want a gay teammate.
The Yes institute in Miami was holding a discussion on how to keep transgender kids safe and out of harms way. When it came to share an idea, out of nowhere, Tim Hardaway raised his hand.
With 40 people, some of them gay and some of them strangers, he talked about the importance of being educated, awared, and knowledgable.
"I just wanted to go in and get educated, that's all. Get educated on what I said and why I said those things,'' Hardaway said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm working on understanding it now. I'm not really trying to make amends. I've been there trying to get help.''
My question is, why wait several months to go to a meeting like this. Tim Hardaway's comments were unfortunate and repulsive. You don't make a comment and tell a community you hate them, it's just wide of the mark. Humans make mistakes. i don't care if you're a millionare or a middle-class citizen, a remark like this will bring negative connetation to the public eye.
We know this visit to the Yes Institute was just a PR move, it's evident. We know Tim Hardaway wants to resurrect his image, and get back into the NBA.
But those who think that this move was enough, you better think again.
The gay community is a large community, a community who has rights just like everyone else. It will be a long time before Hardaway gains respect from the NBA and the public. The Yes Institute was the first step to fix his persona and to re-establish a relationship with the NBA and its players.
