So I was reading JKD's blog, which is becoming great (FYI) and I read about Mike Danton. Danton allegedly called a 19-year old female friend (across state lines--important for prosecution) to arrange for a $10,000 hit on an unnamed man. All reports, I've read, indicate that the man was Danton's same sex roomate. Further, all implications are that the men were lovers. Previously (last year) Danton changed his name from Mike Jefferson. By all accounts this is a man in a lot of mental anguish and quite possibly not in the most open of environments.
JKD deftly addresses the repurcussions for the general GLBT population with yet another story linking homosexuality to "weird", "dangerous" or "immoral" behavior. It's getting to the point where GLBT organizations are going start issuing denuciations as organizations within black community have been--essentially having to apologize for public missteps. Just once I'd love to see the Klan (the only "white" advocacy group) publicly apologize for Bush or Kozlosky, or Manson or any other "bad apples."
But in this case the first release I found is hardly that. A joint press release from IGHLIHA (The International Gay and Lesbian Ice Hockey Association) and GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) calls for a full investigation of the alleged crime, but spends most of its energy and fire blasting the NHL and hockey culture. What the Danton case (and again it's really early) seems to suggest is that, guess what gay athletes make horrifically bad decisions just like their straight counterparts.
Sadly, it seems that many, professional athletes are generally immature, insulated, and offered the opportunity to avoid the general tedium of normal healthy social interaction. The way that prominent GLBT organizations handle this case will be interesting...don't forget gay marriage is still looming out there as a large issue.
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