Athletes who stand for what is right

Sadly there has been too much focus on a few professional athletes who made some anti-gay remarks.  While we still don't see a big surge in professional athletes coming out as lesbian or gay and we also don't see huge numbers of them stepping up as allies, there are some exceptions.  Brendon Ayanbadejo, Fresh off the Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl XLVII victory, continues to speak out.  Here is some of what he had to say:

"Being a '70s baby and growing up in the '80s and '90s, I witnessed firsthand the rise of the African-American community into mainstream America. All of a sudden when I was in junior high school and going into high school, black was the cool thing to be. Everybody wanted to be black and embrace black people. Prior to that in the '60s, my parents would not have been allowed to get married due to interracial marriage laws and today this issue is relevant once again, however, it's not about race. It is about sexual orientation and whom you choose to love, which is no different than a black person loving a white person. Same sex couples should legally marry whomever they fall in love with. So the same plight for equality that affected me in the '60s is relevant again today, it doesn't affect me this time, but it will affect people I love and care about. This isn't a fight for gay rights, this is a fight for human rights."

San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain has been an lgbt ally speaking out in the past and even posing for a NOH8 photo with his wife Chelsea. Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita filmed a video in support of Americans for Marriage Equality, part of the Human Rights Campaign. There have been athletes who have participated in It Gets Better videos too.

Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe is one of the more outspoken players of all. Chris has publicly defended Brendon Ayanbadejo's stand and has even gone further. He has made special appearances at lgbt events and even has appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and on The Colbert Report. On her program, Ellen even inducted Kluwe as the first inductee in her Hall of Fame for his support of marriage equality.