Many people, teams and leagues across the sports world have reacted to the murder of 49 people who were killed in Orlando for being in a gay bar. From tweets by Seahawks punter Jon Runyon and former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal to moments of silence at Major League Baseball games, the tragedy has been felt in the sports world this week.
While many of the reactions have featured rainbow flags and messages about pride, precious few people in sports have directly addressed the fact that the shooter was motivated by homophobia, that the LGBT community specifically was targeted, and that most of the victims are dead because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We talk about whether the sports world's embrace of rainbow colors is enough to acknowledge the LGBT community as the target of this hateful attack, or if more can be done.
We also discuss the Orlando attack as an impetus for LGBT people to come out both privately and publicly. While the shooter sought to create terror, it seems he has emboldened more people to be their true selves.
