A supporter of gay rights, but not gay
Former minor pro hockey player Justin Bourne is an advocate of gay rights and outspoken about the challenges athletes face when “coming out” in pro sports.
His passion for the cause stems in part from the fact that he has a gay family member and from some of the attitudes he saw during his own pro career.
Bourne is not gay himself, however, as was suggested in yesterday’s Sun.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a crusader but I’m definitely an advocate of the cause,” Bourne said yesterday. “I don’t see a problem speaking out about it. But as my fiancee would tell you, I’m definitely not gay.”
Bourne, who has written about the topic on his blog and for USA Today, did just that in the aftermath of Brian Burke’s son Brendan’s admission that he was gay.
In his reaction, Bourne applauded the elder Burke’s positive response as potentially being an important step in furthering society’s acceptance of gays.
“About 40 or 50 years ago, guys as manly as Brian Burke were the exact reason gay men are uncomfortable coming out,” Bourne told Yahoo.com. Link
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