And I’m not just referring to his immaculate genes . . .
Australian rugby stud David Pocock has more going for him than his athleticism and chiselled jaw. He’s intelligent and compassionate, too! During a recent discussion with former tennis champion turned anti-marriage-equality member of Parliament John Alexander on the television show Q&A, Pocock simply and eloquently expressed why he thinks it’s important to accept the queer community and reach a new plateau of unity in Australia.
I always think it’s profound when a sports hero speaks up for gay rights, because athletes, especially male athletes, are viewed around the world as a sort of alpha species. So when an alpha male proves that you can be empathetic and open-minded without sacrificing your masculinity, that has a deep effect on that athlete’s fans, many of whom are young and impressionable boys who need to be assured that there’s nothing emasculating about equality.
Here’s what Pocock had to say:
The biggest thing in this debate is that we’re dealing with people here. And how can you blame someone for what they are? People don’t choose their sexuality and we marginalize the LGBTI community for what they are. I think that this is a conversation that needs to be had and that needs to be discussed compassionately and actually come to something that’s reasonable. And in my mind, that’s marriage for everyone. We’ve moved forward on so many issues, and this is the next progression . . . A lot of gay people may not believe in the institution of marriage, but I believe it needs to be an option. How can we be challenging homophobia when we’re saying, “You’re equal to me but you’re separate. I’ll go sign this [marriage] document here, but you can go have your civil union,” which is the same, but not, really.
Here’s a video clip from Q&A:
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