Chicago Blackhawks to March in Chicago Pride Parade

OMG! The folks at the American Family Association will be having conniption fits and no doubt the spittle will be flying everywhere. Get ready for a boycott! Why? Because the Chicago Blackhawks, winners of the Stanley Cup - Chicago defenseman Brent Sopel(notes) and his wife and four children - will be marching in the Chicago Gay Pride parade this weekend. Causing even more angst and hysteria among the homophobes is the fact that not to be out done, the Chicago Cubs are apparently planning to have a float in the Pride parade. Don Wildmon and Tony Perkins must be wetting themselves over this. Perhaps helping to motivate the decision of the Blackhawks is story of Brendan Burke, the gay son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager, Brian Burke who died tragically in an auto accident causing Burke Sr. to pledge to be a gay rights activist. Personally, I love the development and believe that these types of actions will help hasten the demise of the Christianist anti-gay hate machine. Here are highlights from Yahoo News:
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The Chicago Blackhawks are bringing the Stanley Cup to Chicago's gay Pride Parade this Sunday for all the right reasons. When we first reported on the Chicago Gay Hockey Association's request to have the Blackhawks represented in this year's parade, we noted that their timing was perfect.
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But above all, it's been a progressive year for hockey and tolerance. The late Brendan Burke, the son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke who died tragically in an auto accident earlier this year, shared his story of coming out in the hockey world and received an outpouring of support.
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Burke's legacy is one of the reasons why Chicago defenseman Brent Sopel(notes) and his wife and four children will appear with the Cup at the Pride Parade, according to the Sun-Times: "When Brendan came out, Brian stood by him, and his whole family stood by him, like every family should," said Sopel. "We teach our kids about accepting everybody. Tolerate everybody, to understand where everyone is coming from."
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In that spirit of tolerance, there could be some calculated image rehab for the Blackhawks here as well.
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The Sun-Times, which broke the parade story Tuesday morning, reports that Chicago Blackhawks president John McDonough made a special arrangement for the Cup to be flown back from Los Angeles, site of the NHL draft, 15 hours earlier than anticipated so it can appear in the Pride Parade. "It's important for the city and important for the franchise," he told the paper. . . . McDonough's former employer, the Chicago Cubs, will also break a barrier by having a float in the parade for the first time.
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The gashing of teeth among the Christianist sports jokes must be deafening!