He may have made the controversial choice to star in a Super Bowl ad for the anti-gay, anti-abortion organization Focus on the Family, but Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow is now being petitioned by a growing group of fans and advocates to join a much different type of campaign.
As USA Today is reporting, more than 3,000 supporters have signed a petition for the high-profile player to join the "It Gets Better" campaign in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens. The campaign has already delivered video messages from well-known figures like Justin Bieber and Kathy Griffin as well as Barack and Michelle Obama. Although the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs are among the many professional sports teams to join the campaign, no NFL team has participated thus far.
"It would really be an amazing thing for Tebow and the Broncos to do to really say 'We may have differences on abortion and gay marriage, but stopping kids from killing themselves is an issue we can all get behind,'" petition organizer and Broncos fan Andy Szekeres told USA Today.
Earlier this year, a video clip of Tebow smooching teammate Demaryius Thomas went viral after it was posted to YouTube, but Szekeres insists the quarterback's gay admirers respect him primarily for his sportsmanship. "A lot of my gay and lesbian friends support him and think he's doing a great job as a quarterback," he said. "This is an easy way to show support for the LGBT community that is not divisive."
