Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Gossip: Queen Vows UK Will Protect Gays; Former NFL Offensive Tackle Comes Out

Queen Elizabeth II has vowed the UK will protect people based on sexual orientation. The Conservative party, in an attempt to claw back after their failed bid to win a bigger majority in the UK election, has agreed to work with the homophobic DUP from Northern Ireland.

Written by the government, the Queen’s speech was heard moments ago. It centered around securing Brexit and bringing in replacement laws needed for EU exit. But it did include a part that appears to be a direct comment on the Conservatives working with the controversial Northern Ireland party.

The Queen said: ‘My government will make further progress to tackle the gender pay gap and discrimination against people on the basis of their race, faith, gender, disability or sexual orientation.’

Former NFL Offensive Tackle Comes Out

Former Patriots and Chiefs offensive tackle Ryan O’Callaghan publicly came out on Tuesday, saying that he strongly considered committing suicide before he received support from the Kansas City organization.

O’Callaghan discussed the gripping, heart-wrenching journey he took as a closeted gay man in college football and the NFL in a piece by SB Nation’s Outsports.The story provides a unique window into the devastating toll the lying and hiding can have on an individual. Now that he’s come out, O’Callaghan says he’s committed to helping those enduring similar struggles.

“As long as there are people killing themselves because they are gay, there is a reason for people like me to share my story and try to help,” O’Callaghan said. “People need to understand that we are everywhere. We’re your sons, your daughters, your teammates, your neighbors. And honestly, even some of your husbands and wives. You just don’t know it yet.”

From the opening of the OutSports article:

Ryan O’Callaghan’s plan was always to play football and then, when his career was over, kill himself. Growing up in Redding, Calif., he didn’t see any other option. From a deep red corner of a blue state, the conflicted young man had decided in high school that he would never — could never — live as a gay man.

While the 6-foot-7, 330-pound offensive tackle didn’t fit any of the gay stereotypes, he decided shortly after coming out to himself in junior high school that he could never let anyone else in on his darkest secret.

Over the years he had heard general comments from friends and family members about gay people. Every utterance of a gay slur or a joke about gay men — and he heard them plenty when he was young — was like a knife to the gut.

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