Last week Chris Kluwe's open letter went viral because its blistering critique--that didn't worry about polite speech--tapped into something atavistic. He wrote it in response to Maryland House of Delegates member Emmett C. Burns Jr. after he asked the owner of the Baltimore Ravens to censor players after linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo defended marriage equality. This weekend he appeared on The Ed Show on MSNBC to discuss his motivations.
Kluwe's whose brother in-law is gay, has been actively involved in the advertisements in support of marriage equality in Minnesota. By the way, the Ravens released a statement: "We support Brendon's right to freedom of speech under the first amendment." So there's that, too.
Kluwe hasn't spoken to Ayanbadejo yet, but he says he hopes to soon.
"I think it's great the Ravens came out in support of him," Kluwe says. "As athletes we have this very prominent platform where we can affect social change. It behooves all of us to do the right thing."
Watch the clip below:
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