The NFL took the nation by surprise as they voiced their support for the LGBTQ community on Pride Day.
Showing support for Carl Nassib of the Las Vegas Raiders after the defensive end came out as gay, the National Football League called football “gay, lesbian, and queer.”
“Football is lesbian. Football is beautiful. Football is queer. Football is life. Football is exciting. Football is culture. Football is transgender. Football is heart. Football is power. Football is tough,” the NFL said in a touching video message.
“Football is bisexual. Football is strong. Football is freedom. Football is American. Football is accepting. Football is everything. Football is for everyone.”
While the message was well-accepted by many, critics slammed the league for drawing links between the popular sport and the LGBTQ scene.
The video comes shortly after Nassib became the first active NFL player to openly reveal he is gay. While there were plenty of other gay players in the past, they all came out after retiring to avoid potential backlash and scrutiny.
As Nassib explained in his video, he is a private person who didn’t come out in seek of attention. The young footballer added that he decided to speak out because “representation and visibility are so important.”
“I actually hope that one day videos like this and the whole coming out process are just not necessary. Until then, I am going to do my best and do my part to cultivate a culture that is accepting and compassionate,” he said.
Nassib went on to pledge a $100,000 donation to the Trevor Project, an initiative that focuses on supporting LGBTQ youth and preventing suicides.
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