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over a Loud Homophobe |
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Compiled by GayToday
"In the run-up to his world title fight, Lewis was subjected to a stream of taunts about his sexual orientation from Rahman and rival managers and promoters". "In August, Rahman accused Lewis of a "gay move" over his legal action to force a rematch between the two fighters. Two days before the fight, he repeated his insinuations, making an issue of the fact that at the age of 36 Lewis has no children". "The World Boxing Council, International Boxing Organization and International Boxing Federation did nothing. They colluded with Rahman's vulgar bigotry". "By not condemning the homophobic slurs against Lewis, the boxing profession gave a green light to prejudice. It would never tolerate racism. Why is it tolerating homophobia?" "The WBC, IBO and IBF collusion with homophobia brings shame upon the sport. It makes boxing look nasty, cheap and prejudiced".
"Why is Rahman so interested in Lewis's sexuality? Perhaps his obsession reveals something about his own sexual desires? Rahman is a cheap, small-minded bigot. He deserves to be treated with the same contempt as racists. "There is no evidence that Lewis is gay, but if he is gay he should come out. It would be an act of great courage and dignity; the equivalent of Jesse Owens braving racist prejudice to win gold in Berlin in 1936. Lewis would become one of the all-time great sporting legends, on account of both his record in the ring and his guts in standing up to the notorious homophobia of the boxing scene", said Tatchell. |
Lennox Lewis: Heavyweight Champion of the World 