News
2006-09-01
Former NBA star
says he supports same-sex marriage
Former NBA star
and possible Democratic candidate for governor of
Alabama Charles Barkley was his usual outspoken self
Former NBA star
and possible Democratic candidate for governor of
Alabama Charles Barkley was his usual outspoken self
during a recent television interview in which he said,
among other things, that he advocates same-sex
marriage, believes Republicans have screwed up the
country, and is "struggling with my idea of what religion
is."
Barkley also said
Democrats have concentrated too much on criticizing
President Bush in the past two years instead of focusing on
what they can do to improve things in the country.
"They're criticizing a guy who can't run again, who
can't get fired," Barkley said during an appearance on
CMI: The Chris Meyers Interview, which will
air on Sunday night on Fox SportsNet. "So they spent the
last two years criticizing him instead of saying, 'Some
things aren't right. This is our game plan.' And now
we're two years away from the election, and we have no
solutions and no front-runner."
Barkley was a
Republican until recently, saying he switched parties when
the Republicans "lost their minds." He said he is troubled
by some of the actions of people in the United States
in the name of religion. "Religious people in general
are so discriminatory against other people, and that
really disturbs me," he said. "My idea of religion is
we all love and respect. We all sin, but we still have
common decency and respect for other people. So right
now I'm struggling with my idea of what religion is."
Barkley also said
he supports same-sex marriage. "I think if they want
to get married, God bless them," Barkley said. "Gay marriage
is probably 1% of the population, so it's not like it's
going to be an epidemic. Hey, trust me, I'm never
going to kiss you and say, 'Chris, you're sexy.'"
Barkley also
acknowledged that openly gay athletes likely would be
discriminated against in professional sports, though he said
he believes they would face the same discrimination in
everyday life.
The Hall of
Famer, who donated money to help with the reconstruction in
the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina, said he realizes
he has limitations when it comes to governing, though
that isn't stopping him from considering a
gubernatorial bid. "I don't know anything about a lot
of things, but I would ask somebody and try to make a fair,
honest decision for the majority of the people. Not
the rich, not the poor, not the black, not the white,"
Barkley said. "When you get elected to public office,
you're supposed to represent everybody. Your job is not to
take care of the rich or the poor or the black or the white.
Your job is to take care of everybody." (AP)
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