If you follow hockey, I don’t have to tell you that one of this week’s biggest stories surrounds Brendan Burke, the 20-year-old son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, who came out to the entire sports world yesterday via this ESPN column. And the even bigger story seems to be how the GM has handled his son’s very public come-outtance.
The most-read stories on both The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star right now are about the elder Burke’s reaction to the fact that his son is gay, which – granted he’s had almost two years to get used to the idea – seems to be as kind and accepting as any kid could hope for:
“I had a million good reasons to love and admire Brendan. This news didn’t alter any of them. I would prefer Brendan hadn’t decided to discuss this issue in this very public manner. There will be a great deal of reaction, and I fear a large portion will be negative. But this takes guts, and I admire Brendan greatly, and happily march arm in arm with him on this.”
It’s hard not to feel a little warm-and-fuzzy toward Burke after reading this quote, but I can’t help but think that we’re giving him a little too much credit. Sure, the hockey world is full of manly men, but working for the NHL shouldn’t give anyone a free pass on homophobia. By bending over backwards to praise Burke for not having a more negative reaction to his son’s coming out, aren’t we just reinforcing the stereotype that straight men ought to feel uncomfortable about homosexuality?
- Maureen Halushak
