the clatter of keys

writing on music, politics, and sports from erin mckeown.

first time, long time

alright, let’s go to erin in western mass. hello erin, go ahead, you’re on the air.

“hey guys, what’s up? first time, long time. i listen to your show almost everyday, really appreciate what you do. thanks.

i wanted to call in today to talk about kobe bryant. you know, a lot of folks are saying that the fine from the NBA is excessive, or they’re saying that it’s a shame kobe used that kind of language, but are accepting his apology. other folks are using this situation to bring up other “what if” scenarios- like “what if kobe said what he said and he was gay, would it still be a problem?” or “what if he’d insulted the ref with a female body part. he’d have gotten away with it!” or “what about all the times that the N-word gets dropped on the court, do we see Al or Jesse up in arms?” or “most people love dogs, so what michael vick did was clearly awful”.

i just want to say that you guys are missing the point. forget about the fine. forget about whether the NBA was forced to be politically correct by a powerful special interest group. the point is that kobe bryant was telling the truth about himself. as angry as he was, as passionately as he was berating the targeted official, he revealed what he really thinks about a queer sexual identity, and i commend his honesty.

when kobe bryant, along with countless other people,  wants to express displeasure, get someone’s goat, make them pay attention, or have a tantrum (and these are just the mild reasons), he calls someone “gay”. THIS MEANS HE IS DEMEANING QUEER FOLKS. there’s no explanation otherwise. when kobe wanted to bang a nail, he reached for a hammer. he knew what he was doing, he picked up the right tool, and in that moment he revealed his disgust, his hatred, and his own power and privilege as a straight man.

i just want to finish up with this. kobe says that he didn’t mean it, that that doesn’t reflect how he feels about the LGBT community. maybe it doesn’t now, maybe it never will again, but it did in that moment. i don’t know about you guys, but i would really hope that the value our queer community is worth more than a one-time payment of $100,000.

thank you, and i’ll take my answer off the air.”

  1. prolixcorpuslibris reblogged this from theclatterofkeys
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  3. foolishginger reblogged this from theclatterofkeys and added:
    so wonderfully articulate...perfectly stated...incredibly...
  4. theclatterofkeys posted this