A few final thoughts on Hardaway

Or not really about him. About showering with icky gays.

I've now been reading numerous suggestions from those thumping their chests for Tim Hardaway that he makes a good point in that gays should have separate locker rooms. Take this rather illiterate post from ESPN.com from a poster named 1569jimmy (great last two letters, by the way, jim):

The part about the lockerroom is a free ride for gay men. I go to the gym and work out at BALLY'S and am constantly looking over my shoulder in the showers as there are at least 3 or 4 different gay men a night going there not even to work out but just paying their membership dues so they could go in and out of the steamroom .It's so obvious as they go back and forth from the showers to the steamroom so they can get their jollies and semi-erections. You could literally see them looking at you from the back of your eye. Why should i be made to feel uncomfortable, when i'm in the lockerroom? ALL it does is pis me off AND MAKE ME RUSH my shower SO I don't have to endure this while they are getting their kicks on my expense. TRUST ME, it's not one or 2 that are their strictly for showering. It's at least one in any location that i go to. THESE SAID INDIVIDUALS have never been seen working out. They're WILLING to pay $30 a month for unlimited access to manflesh. When you think of it, it's like a straight guy being a peeping tom in the women's lockerrom. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. The only difference is that they are alowed access because they have the same genitalia (ALBEIT for different purposes) and can hide behind this fact. They are portrayed as victims, but in reality so are the straight men that have no choice in the matter. I GAURANTEE yOU if they didn't have any lockerrooms 80% of the gays that are members would not be RENEWING THEIR MEMBERSHIPS. That's what keeping it real souns like. You can call it homophobic or whatever you'd like, but also have to factor that 90% of straight men somewhat have the same point of view.

I can see how someone who writes so eloquently would be hard to resist. And I've found that the ones who worry most about other guys hitting on them are the ones who usually should have to worry about it the least. And I'll also bet that you didn't know that 95 percent of rhetorical percentages are just made up in the writer's head and have no basis in facts whatsoever.

But let's pretend, for a moment, that jimmy here is the spitting image of Wentworth Miller or someone else that would be capable of giving your typical gay male a "semi-erection," whatever that is.

First of all, I have it on pretty good authority that many straight guys check each other out while in the locker room shower. It's a method of, let's say, assessing their manhood.

So, the naked body is being looked at one way or the other. Therefore, what is the difference if the looking provides the opportunity for arousal? Unless the gym is incredibly sketchy, the management will suspend the membership of anyone doing something torrid in the corner. If there's a problem, report it. If someone is overtly ogling, call them out on it. Embarrass them. That's what I would do. Believe it or not, I don't particularly like to be ogled in the shower myself. That's probably what the girls in the yoga class would do if they saw straight men ogling them as they go through the various positions.

For another view, check out Andrew Sullivan. The email he prints also confirms my earlier point.

Anyway, I'm through with this subject now. I'll be in Texas a few days, so I might not have the ability to post. So in case I'm not back before, everyone have a fabulous holiday weekend!