I’ve got a post at Maryland for All Families following up on the free-speech controversy that flared up when Del. Emmett Burns, a Democratic lawmaker in Annapolis, wrote to the owner of the Baltimore Ravens demanding he silence linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, a vocal advocate of same-sex marriage (earlier). Discussion elsewhere: Rob Tisinai/Box Turtle Bulletin, Amy Alkon, Howard Wasserman/Prawfs, BaltimoreRavens.com (team’s front office supports Ayanbadejo), David Frum, and a First Amendment analysis from Hans Bader.
Update: Amid widespread public support for Ayanbadejo, Del. Burns has now backed off his attempt to muzzle the linebacker [Baltimore Sun] Did any prominent critics of same-sex marriage speak up in favor of the Ravens linebacker’s free speech? If not, they missed an opportunity to underline the principled nature of their oft-voiced concern that those on the “wrong” side of the marriage issue will face official retaliation.
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Wonder if we’d get the same hysterical coverage if a lawmaker wrote and asked that a player who supported traditional marriage be shut up? I suspect that the focus, instead, would be on the player’s “antiquated and homophobic” views.
We can venture a pretty good guess what the answer to that question is, because just a few weeks ago two elected officials did try to shut up Mr. Dan Cathy of Chick-Fil-A, whose views are the opposite of Mr. Ayanbadejo’s. What kind of coverage did we get? A national news story that went on for nearly a week; dozens of talk show hosts denouncing the threat to liberty; a “Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day” promoted by Gov. Huckabee and others, and widely talked up in conservative outlets; and much more, until the officials backed down.
Maybe Calvin A found that level of coverage “hysterical.” I didn’t, because the threat to liberty from that kind of official intimidation should concern us a lot. That’s why I devoted numerous posts here and elsewhere to defending Mr. Cathy’s rights, and am equally glad to defend Mr. Ayanbadejo’s rights.
Don’t you know? Only owners of Chicken Restaurants have protected free speech rights! Not linebackers.
I am disappointed in Del. Burns. We should encourage football players of all positions to speak articulately.
Tar, feathers…. (w/ a nod & a h/t to the Professor)
…and not to end our sentences with adverbs, D.
Just curious–HAS there been any commentary on this from conservative bloggers/pundits? the ones who were up in arms over Chik-Fil-A?
Cathy>Good question. Thus far, I’ve seen 1) a few Twitter and Facebook comments in the right direction from conservatives who aren’t well known; 2) extensive coverage from libertarian-leaning writers such as Eugene Volokh. But it’s hard to observe a negative. Possibly people like Mike Huckabee or William Bennett have spoken up on radio shows and I just haven’t heard about it.
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