David Tyree, Archbishop Timothy Dolan wasting their breath spewing ignorance on gay marriage issue

Mike Lupica

Wednesday, June 22nd 2011, 4:00 AM

Philip Kamrass/Times Union

Former New York Giants wide receiver David Tyree, the hero of Super Bowl XLII, has his opinions but unfortunately voices them using the language of intolerance.

Drop It, David

What effect do the comments of Archbishop Timothy Dolan and David Tyree have on the debate over legalizing gay marriage?

	Their public denunciations of gay marriage are setbacks for proponents of gay rights.
	Such intolerance only encourages more support for the cause of legalizing gay marriage.
	Their voices are drowned out by the growing number of supporters for the cause.

First there is Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who came here from Milwaukee and sounds more like somebody from out of town than ever, saying that the idea of gay marriage constitutes an "ominous threat" to everything good and decent. Dolan sounds like somebody worrying that if gay marriage becomes law in New York on his watch, it may drop a safe on his chances of being promoted to Cardinal.

Dolan also tells Fred Dicker on the radio last week how he understands that those who want the gay marriage bill in the state Senate to become law in New York are powerful and "well-oiled." Right. But the Catholic Church isn't.

On the sports pages we get the ex-Giant, David Tyree, who once made the greatest catch in Super Bowl history pressing a ball against his helmet one night against the Patriots in Glendale, Ariz. and now sounds as if he might have occasionally played without one. A helmet. And this isn't because Tyree says he would give up his Super Bowl win to prevent gay marriage from becoming the law in New York.

SPORTS FIGURES WHO HAVE SPOKEN OUT IN SUPPORT OF, OR AGAINST, GAY RIGHTS

Tyree makes a video for the National Organization for Marriage that says gay marriage would lead to "anarchy." Sure it would. Having these gays be officially married in the state of New York would bring on fabulous rioting in the streets, along with making them a threat to Catholics. Of course. Like they are Al Qaeda operatives on Christopher St.

When Jemele Hill of ESPN.com asked Tyree about the use of the word "anarchy," Tyree says he didn't mean it literally, that he was really talking about the "moral fabric of our country." Tyree is a devout Christian, entitled to his beliefs and his opinions. Dolan is entitled to his, even if he sounds like the marching orders on this one are coming straight from the Vatican.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan says the idea of gay marriage constitutes an 'ominous threat' to all that is good and decent. (Craig Warga/News)

You don't demonize ex-football players and current top Catholics anywhere for believing what they believe, even as they do a pretty good job trying to demonize gay people, men and women, who are no threat to the moral fabric of this country or anything else. Or anybody. Dolan and Tyree are still wrong, the rhetoric they have brought to the debate laced with both ignorance and intolerance.

I was talking to a gay friend of mine about this, one who has been in a committed relationship for 13 years. If it were officially a marriage in the state of New York, then I wouldn't have to call it a relationship or a union, just one of the best marriages I know about anywhere.

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