Steve Nash Supports Marriage Equality (VIDEO)

Steve Nash has joined Sean Avery of the New York Rangers in support of New York's marriage equality proposition.

The move comes shortly after Phoenix Suns president and CEO Rick Welts revealed that he is gay.

"Hi I'm Steve Nash. I spend my summers in New York and I love playing at the Garden," he says in the short clip, produced by the Human Rights Campaign. "A growing number of professional athletes are speaking out in support of gay and lesbian couples getting married, I'm proud to be one of them. Join me and the supermajority of New Yorkers who support marriage equality."

HRC vice president of communications Fred Sainz told Jane McManus of ESPNNewYork that Nash was considering joining the campaign for months.

Avery received a negative backlash after appearing in HRC's video series earlier in May. NHL player agent Todd Reynolds called the Rangers' support of same-sex marriage "misguided."

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo has also voiced his support for gay marriage, in an op-ed for The Huffington Post and a video statement for Equality Maryland.

Scroll down to watch the video.

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Comments

[awlff]

12:24 AM on 05/29/2011

We are all equal or none of us are.
Steve Nash gets props for guts,courage.
He didn't have to go public with his support.He is gonna get a lot of hate over this.

[snesich]

11:39 PM on 05/28/2011

I once worked with a guy, some years back, who said he hated gay people because "they're so promiscuous and they have sex all the time, with as many people as possible and they have no understanding of love, or commitment or fidelity."

So, after hearing this viciously stereotypical, hateful stuff for several weeks, I said, "So, I assume you'd be in favor of allowing gays to marry and make a formal commitment to one person." He almost fell out of his chair. He said, "What! Let them marry? Absolutely not! That would devalue my own marriage!"

When I asked him to explain how two gay people getting married would effect his own marriage, he couldn't tell me. But he remained very adamant.

I said to him, "Well, you don't want gay people running around and having sex with other consenting adults as they choose. Correct?" He agreed. I then said, "And you also don't want them to have the right to be married. Correct?" He agreed again.

I said to him, "It sounds like you're saying you don't want gay people to have the right to any sexual or marital status. It sounds like you just wish they would cease to exist, or just all die. Is that how you feel?"

He was silent. And his silence confirmed that his answer was "Yes". For most opponents of gay marriage, that's their position. They just want gay people to disappear, or die.

[snesich]

11:22 PM on 05/28/2011

Congratulations, Steve! Your courage will be remembered when the history of this important period is being written.

And now, we want to hear from more professional athletes, particularly in New York, on this human right issue.

How about it, Derek Jeter? Will you be brave, Alex Rodriguez? Where's your courage, CC? Don't you want kids to see an example worthy of your name, ROBINSON Cano? When will you do the right thing, Mark Texiera?

You guys have millions. And you're followed and worshipped by millions. Stand up for justice, freedom and human dignity. Don't sit on the sidelines of history. And if you have the courage to do this, I guarantee you that others will follow and thank you for being among the first in your sport.

[sergal stew]

04:23 PM on 05/24/2011

Does that include adult incest(some states allow 1st cousin marriage, but most don't) and polygamy marriage? That a serious question. As strange as both as those are to me as gay marriage is. Those aren't my business and don't affect me either.

[Angel1999]

11:16 AM on 05/25/2011

To give a serious answer, our current marriage laws are set up to honor a two person contract. Literally all the laws related to civil marriage exist in the context of this arrangement. Allowing two people of the same sex marry wouldn't require alteration of this basic arrangement. Allowing polygamy into the mix would definitely require a rewriting of *all* the marriage laws. While this, to me, isn't a reason to disallow such a union, it definitely makes it more difficult to make a place for it. If enough people believe that polygamy should be allowed, then it's a conversation that needs to take place, much as we are discussing marriage for same-sex couples now. I don't add it to the current discussion because it adds too much baggage. It's better discussed on it's own rather than as a corollary to same-sex marriage.

As for incest, I'm not really interested in it either. I would just as soon not discuss it. If some brother and sister think they have a case to make for allowing their relationship, then they're going to have to make that case for themselves and see if they can convince anybody.

[sergal stew]

02:38 AM on 05/26/2011

I just think if they are going to legalise gay marriage they should just legalise all forms of adult marriage. The BBC did a a couple of documentaries on brother-sister/1st cousin couples in the Germany,UK and USA. People generally make the birth defect argument but I know one couple had 4 kids no problems and the others got fixed. They also mentioned that being a married doesn't require kids and if birth defects are the main excuse than that could extend to non-related couples. Suggesting non-related couples could be tested before being allowed to have children. I would be more willing to accept gay marriage if incest and polygamy marriages were federally recognised. I'm either they all get it or none of them get it.

[nicenissey]

10:48 PM on 05/28/2011

I will not agree nor disagree with it since this should be individual preferences.

But is there doing to be some biological problems when closely-related people have offsprings? That might be the issue.

[NatTurner1]

12:18 PM on 05/24/2011

yeah Steve, lets support gay marriage, but lets not support the wife you are divorcing!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/22/steve-nash-divorce-no-spo_n_800354.html

[abaybay]

02:19 PM on 05/24/2011

huh? what does one have to do with the other?

[NatTurner1]

03:27 PM on 05/24/2011

the word "support"

[abaybay]

02:24 PM on 05/24/2011

and wouldn't you leave your wife if she was cheating on you?

[NatTurner1]

03:29 PM on 05/24/2011

14 years ago my wife did step outside of our marriage. We worked on it and we are stronger now than ever. And if I did decide to leave her, I would continue to support her. I just believe in that "through thickness and thin 'til death do us part" section of our vows.

[NatTurner1]

04:26 PM on 05/24/2011

Update: It seems the infidelity falls on Nash's shoulders. There rumors that his wife was seeing his teemates, but according to most websites, it was Nash's relationship with 23 year old Brittney Richardson that caused the relationship to fall apart. This cheater is actually a spokesperson for marriage unity. Now how stupid is that!

[ReaganNation]

11:35 AM on 05/24/2011

He and his lesbian hair cut need to go back to Canada, eh!

[JPaulNorton]

08:07 AM on 05/24/2011

I like how he says a "supermajority" in New York support gay marriage when in 2009 the New York Senate defeated a Gay Marriage bill by a decisive 38 to 24 margin. The people have spoken and have done so rightly. Marriage is an institution created for man and woman, it should be upheld and protected as such.

[stealur]

09:10 AM on 05/24/2011

You're right. Make divorce illegal.

[jfoster941]

10:11 AM on 05/24/2011

But that does not fit the agenda.

[sonoffestus]

03:50 PM on 05/24/2011

What agenda?

[AllowMeToObserve]

04:13 AM on 05/24/2011

Way to go, Steve!

[ZENNEPHI]

10:10 PM on 05/23/2011

Take some unsolicited advico from a "trek-west" from that "Yellow Brick Road" of
Jackson County, Kansas City Missouri to the Rocky Mountain Vallleys of the Uintah Basin.
Disposed and exterminated for perhaps a mis-guided "plural-marriage" mandate
from there Lord and God. All for the fear that there relationships were just to bear
offspring, but by there very nature were "promiscuious", in the eyes of Washington.
Mormon Scholars in latter days ascess that the confederate war between North and
South was causation, by Pioneer standards of Polygamy and slave trade.
Tried and True America, though we live in New Testement Times...
The addage "rings true" along with the Levitical Code of ethos.
..."One Man, One Woman, and concubines they shall have none..."

[Idonotgetyoupeople]

09:50 PM on 05/23/2011

Not a big surprise there.

[firstcougar1]

08:38 PM on 05/23/2011

If we all had to be perfect to state our opinion on anything then Huffpo would not exist. Good for him for speaking out for marriage equality.

[Barak1209]

07:13 PM on 05/23/2011

I think I read this joke on Andrew Sullivan's blog: "If you are opposed to gay people having sex, your first move should be to support gay people getting married."

[Keyop]

06:49 PM on 05/23/2011

Does he support using combs?

[Angel1999]

11:23 AM on 05/25/2011

I'm guessing not, since I've never seen him when his hair wasn't a mess.

[darth geekboy]

06:17 PM on 05/23/2011

i tend to think that those who oppose anything "gay" is more focused on the sexual aspect of gay relationships than the actual relationship itself. it's why one of their constant arguments is that "it's not natural."

clearly, they are focused on the genitals, and not the relationship between two adults. which makes the opposition even more perverse.

and for some strange reason, they don't see that. and that's sad.

[firstcougar1]

08:07 PM on 05/23/2011

Great point.

fanned

[mangohombre]

05:27 PM on 05/23/2011

I'm all for gay marriage and marriage equality because I think gays and lesbians should have the same right to be just as miserable as married heterosexual couples.

[SFCity]

05:50 PM on 05/23/2011

You're absolutely right, they do!