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Announcing the First Openly Gay NBA Player

How many NBA players are openly gay? One. Former NBA center John Amaechi made a historic leap Wednesday when he became the first NBA player to publicly come out. Amaechi, the only British player to have an NBA career and named among the league's most improved players in 2000, documents his experience as a gay man in the NBA in his autobiography Man in the Middle, which will be released Feb. 14.

What's it like to be a GLBT athlete? Not easy--only six professional athletes have come out, the most notable of whom may be tennis great Martina Navratilova, who applauds Amaechi's decision. And she was the only one of the six to come out prior to retiring. What does this tell us? Ask Amaechi about the anti-gay locker-room culture--he'll tell you about hearing anti-gay jokes, slurs and references from which he had to shy away to protect his "credibility" among his teammates.

How did Amaechi's former teammates respond to his announcement? "As long as you don't bring your gayness on me, I'm fine," said forward Shavlik Randolph. The NBA Commissioner says orientation is not important--it's all about ability, reports The Associated Press. Does Randolph's comment strike you as accepting?

Several organizations applaud Amaechi's decision to come out. GLAAD takes the opportunity to draw attention to the "insidious problem of homophobia in sports." Who does GLAAD plan to hold accountable for change? Read more.

'Biden's My Hero' Says New FOX Talk-Show Host; What Else Did He Say?

While prepping for FOX's new late-night talk show "Red Eye," host Greg Gutfield invited callers to talk about Sen. Joe Biden's claim that Sen. Barack Obama is "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean." One caller chimes in to tell him he's wrong--Oprah beat Obama to the punch.

Gutfield prefaces the chat by saying Biden is "my favorite person in the world" and commends the senator for publicizing what "every liberal is thinking"--Obama's OK because he's a "non-threatening black man." After reading the transcript, one blogger comments, "I think I'm gonna be sick." Gutfield's show is one of two new conservative talk-shows FOX will launch; Rush Limbaugh will host the other. What's it about? Listen to the Gutfield clip and read more here.

(See also: 'Articulate,' 'Clean,' 'Mainstream': How Else Will Biden 'Compliment' Obama?)

'Show Me the Money,' Says O.J.--Court Says 'No'

"I hope this book never comes out," O.J. Simpson told former HarperCollins publisher Judith Regan. Why? First of all, he didn't even write it--O.J. says a ghostwriter did and he just signed off on it. Simpson also thought it would be perceived as a confession, which he didn't want because, of course, "he didn't do it." When asked whether or not he cared about the public outcry his book generated, Simpson said, "I don't care. I got paid." Is he planning another book deal? Read more.

Well, not exactly. The $1-million advance Simpson received for If I Did It has been frozen by a federal court pending a Feb. 20 hearing. Simpson apparently spent most of the advance already, though, according to Reuters. Where did it go, and why is he in trouble?

Bernanke's Brilliant Idea and Edwards' Big House

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's plan for closing the wage gap starts with "education and training." Now that the Democrats are making income inequality an electoral priority, Bernanke took it upon himself to tell the nation that the "real" forces behind income inequality are educational and training disparities. While disparities undoubtedly perpetuate the problem, Bernanke fails to address the underlying factors that perpetuate them: unequal opportunity, institutionalized racism, and the tendency of politicians to speak out of both sides of their mouths. Read more.

Take presidential hopeful John Edwards, for example. He's campaigned on poverty, education, civil rights and other forms of inequality; he talks about rebuilding New Orleans and providing relief to Katrina victims, condemning the Bush administration for its neglect. But is Edwards any better? He just finished building his own 100-acre, $3.1-million estate in North Carolina. Oh, and construction for his kids' mansions is under way. How can Edwards talk about providing relief to displaced Katrina victims--people who don't have roofs over their heads--while standing from the pulpit of his 10,700-square-foot mansion? It's hypocritical--and most people aren't buying it. Read more.

Gay Teens Coming Out Earlier

Gay and lesbian teens are coming out earlier than those in prior generations, thanks to heightened awareness and acceptance of same-sex orientation. What's driving the trend? Most Americans now consider same-sex orientation "acceptable," according to recent polls--that means more openly GLBT schoolteachers, who are valuable role models for gay and lesbian teens; broad-based media discussion as public figures publicly come out; and the advent of Internet social-networking sites, which provide a safe haven to connect with others like themselves.

School environments are better, but life still isn't easy for gay and lesbian teens, who often are the targets of verbal and physical abuse. GLBT teens are more likely than straight teens to experience emotional disturbances such as suicidal thoughts, depression or anxiety. Gay-straight alliances have provided valuable support systems in school, notes Kevin Jennings of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which conducts annual studies on the state of American public schools for GLBT students. Ten years ago, there only were a few dozen gay-straight alliances--now there are 3,200. Which states are lobbying to pass laws forbidding participation in these groups? Read more.

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