Cam Thomas fined for anti-gay remark

[azcatz11]

Well if you want outrage the reporter who interviewed actually snitched on him with his comment about the league office. He single handily turned this into a major news story. So direct your outage at TNT

[leolozon]

I honestly dont even see how "no homo" = "anti-gay"...
Just seems like they are clarifying their remarks are coming from a platonic point of view and don't insinuate a romantic interest.
What am I missing?

Meh, that’s a stupid thing to say and is generally only said by insecure people not wanting to look gay. Why would we think it was gay?

But it’s certainly not the Kyrie thing. I’m not sure why OP is trying to link the two and make Kyrie appear like a victim.

It’s not that bad.

[The Explorer]

ESPN yesterday called Westbrook a vampire and said he sucks the blood out of teammates and locker rooms. It was so offensive that Westbrook's wife complained on social media that she had to explain to her young kids that the media lies about their father.

That is real, actual damage people are committing against families yet there is no consequence nor accountability for any of this. Most people can see the clear double standard here.

[UglyBugBall]

I honestly dont even see how "no homo" = "anti-gay"...
Just seems like they are clarifying their remarks are coming from a platonic point of view and don't insinuate a romantic interest.
What am I missing?

Meh, that’s a stupid thing to say and is generally only said by insecure people not wanting to look gay. Why would we think it was gay?.

Even if thats true does that make them homophobic or insecure?

[moderndarwin]

I don’t get why people are pushing back on this.

Everyone knows when you say that you’re using it as a joke / insinuating there’s something being wrong with being gay. No one says this “innocently” it’s always been a joke used by people. Of course it’s out of bounds joking the same way a joke based on race would be. Doesn’t mean it’s a big deal if someone does this with their friends but you can’t do it within the confines of your employment. There has to be safe spaces that are overtly sensitive in the public sphere so the association and viewpoint can shift over time

[Wallace_Wallace]

It's a small fine and I see why the nets would do that. I wouldn't make a deal out of it, just a small mistake, but there's no need to get offended bc they fined him for it.
It's clearly wrong to say on TV "no-homo". It adds to being wrong you would never hear a gay person say "no-hetero" or a woman say "no-homo" for that matter when complimenting the gender(s) they're not attracted to.

Please share your list of acceptable language. Let’s all agree on it.

The above is THE POINT. Players literally talk trash all the time during games, should they be fined? If a player says “I like women” - should they be fined? How exactly is that different than saying “no homo”?

People like you are the issue acting like people perplexed why the NBA is policing language are somehow “offended”. No I’m not offended. I’m just blind to common, rational sense and can think logically.

Exactly. During a game, at any level, you'll hear this particular phrase "BAN" a lot. It's an acronym for an insult. Now which word is the most offensive? The B, A or N?

[leolozon]

I honestly dont even see how "no homo" = "anti-gay"...
Just seems like they are clarifying their remarks are coming from a platonic point of view and don't insinuate a romantic interest.
What am I missing?

Meh, that’s a stupid thing to say and is generally only said by insecure people not wanting to look gay. Why would we think it was gay?.

Even if thats true does that make them homophobic or insecure?

I don’t think it’s a big problem and no one will really care for a good reason, but it can easily been seen as saying that it’s bad to be gay and you don’t want to appear as such. Like : “Don’t think I’m homo.”

I do think it’s a weird sentence that should disappear, but it’s very soft and no one will remember tomorrow.

[Rand10]

Only a $40k fine? Make him swap mouthguards with his teammates to assure the fans that he's not homophobic.

[Dominator83]

Nobody's gonna point out the irony of the fine being 40k as a tribute to his 40 pt games?

[Hello Brooklyn]

I know this is a troll thread. But Cam apologized within minutes.

Kyrie refused to apologize for days even after meeting with the ADL.

Also posting a movie praising Hitler is a lot worse than just making a dumb joke. In my view.

[Nuntius]

If a player says “I like women” - should they be fined? How exactly is that different than saying “no homo”?

The former doesn't contain a slur. The latter does. It's as simple as that and pretending that the two are the same seems disingenuous to me.

[ryguy613]

i think its possible that people here are just young and might not understand that "homo" is literally a derogatory word. People used to go around calling people "homo" more in the 80's and 90's. It was basically interchangeable with other gay slurs that i dont think you need me to mention, and that's where "no homo" comes from. This was not a sincere way to clarify that "i am not a homosexual". Saying "no homo" was created with the derogatory word baked into it. That's context this thread seems to be totally overlooking, and again I am going to chalk it up to age and not willful ignorance i guess...

[babyjax13]

I never understood the outrage with "no homo", its not anti-gay.

Its basically just hetero males getting it straight that they don't play for the other team after making a remark that could give gay men the wrong message. We don't want them getting the wrong message. Its just proper communication. Keep doing you, Mr Cam Thomas. The NBA should know better. But of course not.

It's more **** annoying than hateful, but I promise you that every gay person who was out pre-2014 heard a cascade of 'no homo' any time a straight guy said anything to them. I think the fine is appropriate, it's unprofessional, annoying, and ignorant. I don't think he needs to be the target of any moral approbation, etc. Homo is also historically a pretty derogatory term, so there is that, too (a lot of these things are generational).

[SlovenianDragon]

Worlds gone soft there's nothing wrong with saying no homo.

Watch on YouTube

[gottamakeit]

“Homo” is obviously a well-known slur for gay people and it’s just disingenuous to pretend otherwise.

The use of "homo" as a derogatory term for homosexual individuals has roots in prejudice and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. In the past, homosexuality was widely stigmatized and homosexuality was classified as a mental disorder by many psychiatric professionals. This led to a negative connotation of the term "homo," which was used to insult and demean homosexual individuals.

Over time, the LGBTQ+ community has fought for their rights and for the recognition of their identity and dignity. They have advocated for the use of language that is respectful and affirming, and have worked to reclaim terms like "gay" and "lesbian" that were previously used as insults. However, the use of "homo" as a slur has persisted in some quarters, and it is still considered offensive by many people.

When/if the term Homo is reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community, I suppose it will be okay to use again.
IMO it's silly to ban words that have legitimate uses (besides just being derogatory).

Doesn't context matter? If a high school kid calls Justin Biebers new music video 'gay', is that kid actually insulting gay people now or just that music video? And is he now a homophobe?

Sometimes people just use words in a sentence without meaning to make a larger point about the group that the word might somehow connect back to. It requires mental gymnastics to get offended by it, because you have to make all those connections that you just did to do it.

I doubt Cam wants gay people imprisoned or their rights taken away. I doubt he even dislikes them personally or would refuse service from someone that's gay. To me that is what makes someone a homophobe. Cam just used a word that came to mind and I doubt he meant it as anything more than that.

Some people use the term homo derogatorily towards gays. Actual homophobes do exist and they will sometimes say gay. But this wasn't that. Context should matter.

Of course context matters. And that's why I ended my post by saying that banning words is ultimately silly. And furthermore, you cannot condemn an individual just by their usage of a word, context matters.
People should still try to avoid using words that have hateful history.

[Dirk]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35631269/cam-thomas-fined-40k-anti-gay-remark-interview

Where is the outrage from nets owner , a suspension , and the public humiliation? Just goes to show the kyrie thing was personal and he is held to a different standards.

In short: this guy said "no homo" on air and quickly apologised.

You're comparing that to the Kyrie situation that dragged on for weeks before he "apologised"?

[Domejandro]

Cam Thomas made an outdated joke, he said "my bad", the NBA fined him for poor professionalism, and life moves on. Really not sure why the culture warriors are so hypersensitive about this being "an example of societal fragility" or whatever. There are expectations of professionalism at the workplace that Cam Thomas failed to meet, so he was fined. Really not a shocker.

[ryguy613]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35631269/cam-thomas-fined-40k-anti-gay-remark-interview

Where is the outrage from nets owner , a suspension , and the public humiliation? Just goes to show the kyrie thing was personal and he is held to a different standards.

In short: this guy said "no homo" on air and quickly apologised.

You're comparing that to the Kyrie situation that dragged on for weeks before he "apologised"?

I feel for you and the rest of the mods on this thread. having to oversee a thread like this one would be giving me heartburn, not gonna lie.

[Loaded_Hollows]

I never understood the outrage with "no homo", its not anti-gay.

Its basically just hetero males getting it straight that they don't play for the other team after making a remark that could give gay men the wrong message. We don't want them getting the wrong message. Its just proper communication. Keep doing you, Mr Cam Thomas. The NBA should know better. But of course not.

[babyjax13]

Cam Thomas made an outdated joke, he said "my bad", the NBA fined him for poor professionalism, and life moves on. Really not sure why the culture warriors are so hypersensitive about this being "an example of societal fragility" or whatever. There are expectations of professionalism at the workplace that Cam Thomas failed to meet, so he was fined. Really not a shocker.

Agreed. It's so hilariously simple.