Michael Sam’s Family Values
By William Saletan
Twenty-two years ago, when George W. Bush’s father was president of the United States, “family values” meant “anti-gay.” The 1992 Republican National Convention, held in Houston, was a theater of jeremiads against the perils of homosexuality and feminism.
Michael Sam was then 2 years old. He was living in Hitchcock, Texas, 35 miles from the convention site and 25 miles from where I grew up. Political speeches, sermons, and football culture failed to turn him straight. This week, he publicly affirmed his homosexuality. He’s expected to become the NFL’s first openly gay player.
Sam’s father, Michael Sam Sr., is happy about his son’s success in football. But he was sickened to learn that the young man was gay. According to the New York Times,
Last Tuesday, Michael Sam Sr. was at a Denny’s near his home outside Dallas to celebrate his birthday when his son sent him a text message.
Dad, I’m gay, he wrote.
The party stopped cold. “I couldn’t eat no more, so I went to Applebee’s to have drinks,” Sam Sr. said. “I don’t want my grandkids raised in that kind of environment.
“I’m old school,” he added. “I’m a man-and-a-woman type of guy.” As evidence, he pointed out that he had taken an older son to Mexico to lose his virginity.
That’s a sobering portrait of what family values meant to Michael Sam Sr. The right kind of environment for raising children was one in which a man took his virgin son to another country to have sex with a woman. In the household Michael Sam Sr. created, two sons died, and two more ended up in jail. The one who escaped and appears to be living the most moral life is the gay kid.
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http://www.slate.com/blogs/saletan/2014/02/12/michael_sam_s_father_shows_gay_men_can_have_better_family_values_than_straight.html?
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From your link, Don.. good analysis..
"That’s a sobering portrait of what family values meant to Michael Sam Sr. The right kind of environment for raising children was one in which a man took his virgin son to another country to have sex with a woman. In the household Michael Sam Sr. created, two sons died, and two more ended up in jail. The one who escaped and appears to be living the most moral life is the gay kid.
The gay kid escaped to the University of Missouri. There, he found a different kind of family. A Times video shows the university’s football coach, Gary Pinkel, talking to reporters after Sam came out. “I’m very proud of Michael Sam,” says Pinkel. “I’m very proud of our football team. It just says so much for our family and our team, the kind of kids that we have, and how much they care about each other.”
Michael Sam has support from the America's First Family, too..
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You're an inspiration to all of us, @MikeSamFootball. We couldn't be prouder of your courage both on and off the field. -mo
5:21 AM - 10 Feb 2014
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@FLOTUS Thank you for your kind words, humbled by your support.
7:00 AM - 10 Feb 2014
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024479672
Michael Sam Sr has so much to learn.. but, it's never too late and I hope he comes to understand that it doesn't matter who you love as long as you're happy.
Mahalo Don~