Today the US Supreme Court addressed the issue of Prop 8 and whether California’s ban on same-sex marriages is unconstitutional.
Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo spoke at a rally outside the courthouse in favor of same-sex marriages.
“First and foremost, I have to say I’m not here as a Baltimore Raven, I’m actually here as a patriot — as a patriot to uphold the Constitution of the United States. . . .”
“So this is a fight that we’ve seen here before, we’ve been here before. How is this any different than Loving v. Virginia?” he added, in reference to the case that scuttled bans on interracial marriage.
“Luckily, I’m a child of the ’70s, because in some states in the ’60s, I wouldn’t be here. So I’m a testament to progress. I’m a testament to things are changing. Love is always going to win the game,” Ayanbadejo said.
Ayanbadejo’s vocal support of gay marriage has gotten him a lot of publicity, which to some may beg the question of whether his strong stance is attention driven. If his position is authentic, he has not been afraid to use his status as his professional football player to promote a cause he believes in, and whether you agree with his stance or not that’s respectable.