Don McPherson didn’t get much playing time in the NFL, spending only three seasons there (1988-’90) before going to the CFL. Since then he’s been committed to ending sexism and homophobia in sports. He previously teamed up with NCLR on a training for the University of Florida athletic department, after lesbian Andrea Zimbardi was kicked off her softball team. The self-described feminist’s latest stop was American University’s Bender Arena, where he spoke about these issues. From American University’s The Eagle:
“We learn to communicate in teams,” McPherson said. “We learn to communicate in our organizations, with rules. But when we talk about social issues, we don’t do that. Very often, we remain silent about things, even when we see them happening right in front of us.” …
“We learn to communicate in teams,” McPherson said. “We learn to communicate in our organizations, with rules. But when we talk about social issues, we don’t do that. Very often, we remain silent about things, even when we see them happening right in front of us.” …
McPherson also noted that, while misogynistic and homophobic language is accepted, “when white people use the word n***** they get in such a tizzy,” he said.
He implored attendees to have an honest dialogue and conversation about social issues, such as the language that perpetuates violence against women, to examine these issues in detail in order to make good decisions.
“True prevention is not waiting for bad things to happen,” McPherson said. “It’s preventing things from happening in the first place.”
Maybe he needs to sit down with professional sports leagues, some of whom don’t want to talk about these issues because the problem of homophobia has not become a crisis…yet.
