NBA referee comes out of the closet

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Earlier this week, NBA referee Bill Kennedy revealed he is gay. “I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man,” Kennedy told Yahoo Sports on Sunday night. “I am following in the footsteps of others who have self-identified in the hopes that will send a message to young men and women in sports that you must allow no one to make you feel ashamed of who you are.” Kennedy’s coming out comes on the heels of the explosive suspension of Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo. Rondo unleashed a firestorm of anti-gay slurs directed towards Kennedy following his ejection from a game in Mexico City earlier this month. Kennedy along with two other referees heard Rondo’s tirade, leading to his league suspension announced last Friday.

The NBA has thrown their support behind Kennedy and denounced Rando’s behavior. NBA commissioner said in a statement, “”I wholeheartedly support Bill’s decision to live his life proudly and openly. Throughout his 18-year career with the league, Bill has excelled as a referee because of his passion, dedication and courage. Those qualities will continue to serve him well both as a game official and as a positive influence for others. While our league has made great progress, our work continues to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and dignity.”

Rajon Rondo is the third player suspended for using anti-gay slurs. Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls center were both separately fined by the NBA during the 2011 season.

 

Monday Meme: Information

stein memeIn the era of bizarre headlines, terrifying tales from the campaign trail and downright depressing world news, keeping the words of Gertrude Stein in mind sounds like a great idea. Out, proud and take-no-prisoners, Stein is often remembered as the champion of great artists like Cezanne and Hemingway. But her own contributions to the worlds of art and literature are nothing to sneeze at. Stein essentially created queer fiction with Q.E.D. published in 1903 and raised eyebrows until her death at age 72 in 1946.

Raise some eyebrows of your own with our amazing selection of cards! Check them out here. 

Cincinnati Becomes First City To Ban Conversion Therapy

Untitled(2)On Wednesday, the Cincinnati City Council voted to ban gay conversion therapy. According to Cincinnati.com,

In the end, council voted 7-2 to pass the law, which prohibits therapy designed to change sexual orientation or gender identity for minors, and imposes a $200-a-day fine on violators. Cincinnati follows four states – California, Oregon, Illinois and New Jersey – and the District of Columbia banning the therapy, becoming the first city outside of D.C. to do so.

The vote comes on the heels of the death of transgender teen Leela Alcorn, who committed suicide last December. In her powerful suicide note, Alcorn mentioned her own conversion therapy. “This is about saving the lives of LGBT people,” said Councilman Chris Seelbach, who led the effort to ban conversion therapy.  “She challenged us to make her death matter, and we’re doing just that,” Seelbach said.

Nordstrom ad features gay couple (& adorable dog)

In the awesome ongoing trend of featuring LGBT couples in commercials, retail giant Nordstrom has released a charming holiday ad with a gay couple and a scruffy dog who steals the show. Watch it here!

https://youtu.be/wMT4oWqcr2c

Monday Meme: Storm

Although you couldn’t sit down with Oprah and come out of the closet back in Willa Cather’s day, the iconic author didn’t exactly hide her relationships with women either.To this day, scholars quibble over if these relationships were indeed sexual. Nevertheless, Cather and Edith Lewis lived together in series of apartments from 1908 until the author’s death in 1947. Regardless of her sexual orientation, Cather had a unique vision into the human soul and wrote incredible works that stand up today. Today’s meme and the quote provided by Cather touches on her long-running themes of  inner strength and resiliency. cather meme

Check out our entire line of gorgeous greeting cards here!