The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has
chided Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant for using an
anti-gay slur.
During Tuesday's nationally televised
game against the San Antonio Spurs, the six-foot-six, 32-year-old
Bryant stormed to the bench after he received a technical foul from
referee Bennie Adams.
Once seated, an angry Bryant threw a
towel and yelled
“Bennie” followed by what appears to be “fucking faggot.”
“You might wanna take the cameras off
of him right now, for the children watching from home,” TNT
announcer Steve Kerr said during the broadcast.
HRC, the nation's largest gay rights
advocate, responded in a statement.
“What a disgrace for Kobe Bryant to
use such horribly offensive and distasteful language, especially when
millions of people are watching,” the
group wrote at its blog. “Hopefully Mr. Bryant will recognize
that as a person with such fame and influence, the use of such
language not only offends millions of LGBT people around the world,
but also perpetuates a culture of discrimination and hate that all of
us, most notably Mr. Bryant, should be working to eradicate. Bryant
and the Lakers have a responsibility to speak up on this issue
immediately. America is watching.”
A Lakers spokesperson told ESPN that
they had not seen the video, “so it would be inappropriate for us
to comment on it.”