www.peoplesworld.org June 993, 2011

Gay slurs rejected in the NBA

By Pepe Lozano

ay slurs in professional sports are un- “You know, all my best friends live downtown acceptable and show irresponsibility in . I was made in Soho,” Noah told on the part of both athletes and, if ho- ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz. “Sometimes, when you’re mophobic language is not adequately at this level, you don’t realize the consequences of Gaddressed, the entire industry, activists say. Pro- how much a word can bother people. My mom’s fessional athletes are role models to millions, and best friend was gay. So I’m disappointed because using anti-gay phrases should not be tolerated, that’s not me. I didn’t mean any harm to anybody. especially when so many in the sports world still I don’t want anyone to feel disrespected by what I seek acceptance and equal rights based on their said, and I understand that’s what’s going to hap- sexual orientation, they add. pen.” The issue has come full circle recently, and Last month, the star Kobe LGBT rights groups, in partnership with the Na- Bryant issued a similar apology after he too was tional Association and its star players, seen on television yelling the same anti-gay slur at have taken measures to address it, despite recent a referee after a technical foul was issued against setbacks. Weeks after major advertisements by NBA this week: star players supporting gay rights hit the airwaves, forward was seen on • Gay slurs rejected in the NBA national television May 22 shouting an anti-LGBT • Editorial: Elizabeth Warren versus corporate shills slur to a heckling fan during Game 3 of the East- • Union helped maid stand up to IMF chief ern Conference Finals. • Michigan 2012 race has begun Noah had gotten into early foul trouble against the in the first quarter before being • Tornado en Joplin, Misurí, el más mortífero en 60 años benched. The fan insulted Noah, leading to the read more news and opinion daily at www.peoplesworld.org poor choice of words. The Bulls ended up losing, and Noah immediately apologized. The NBA fined Noah $50,000 for his inappropriate actions. him. Bryant was fined $100,000, because his ac- Since then, Noah has said he wants to put the tions were directed at an official. Bryant said his incident behind him and that he hopes to learn words were “stupid and ignorant” and not indica- from the situation. tive of his views toward the LGBT community.

Page 1 “Last month, the NBA sent an important Straight Education Network to address the use of message about how such slurs fuel a climate of anti-gay language among teens. The commercial, intolerance and are unacceptable,” said Jarret which is being aired during NBA play-off games, Barrios, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance features players and Against Defamation, in a recent statement on the and is an extension of the award- groups website. “These anti-gay remarks [Joakim winning Think Before You Speak campaign. Noah’s], coming so soon after, demonstrate how Phoenix Suns star also voiced his LGBT rights much needs to be done.” support for gay marriage in a public video recently groups and the Barrios continued, “Noah’s apology is a start. released by the Washington, D.C.-based Human National Basketball We are confident that the NBA will now take dis- Rights Campaign. “A growing number of profes- Association and its ciplinary measures and hasten its work with us sional athletes are speaking out in support of gay star players, have to tell players that there is no place for anti-gay and lesbian couples getting married. I’m proud to taken measures words and attitudes in the game.” be one of them. Join me and the supermajority “It’s unfortunate,” Miami Heat forward Leb- of New Yorkers who support marriage equality,” to address ron James told the Chicago Sun-Times. “I don’t Nash says in the video. homophobia. think Joakim is that person. Like he said, he’s not Phoenix Suns executive Rick Welts announced that [prejudiced] guy. He made a mistake, and he is gay; supporters say his decision marks a new he’s paying the price for it. All of us understand era of acceptance in the sports world. there are times when you become emotional. “First of all, society discriminates against gay Things get said that you don’t mean. You just have people,” said Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. “I’ve to be more careful. Understand that there are kids been a big proponent of gay marriage for a long watching, people watching, that look up to us as time, because as a black person, I can’t be for any role models.” form of discrimination at all.” Meanwhile, a major public service adver- tisement was launched by the Gay, Lesbian and Pepe Lozano is a writer for the People’s World.

Elizabeth Warren versus corporate shills

By PW Editorial Board epublicans are practically foaming at a defender of the American public. As head of the the mouth in their crusade to Congressional Oversight Panel looking into the the nomination of Elizabeth Warren TARP bank bailouts in 2009, she even challenged to head the new Consumer Financial the Obama administration for handing over bail- RProtection Bureau. In a House subcommittee out money to banks who then turned around and Republicans have meeting this week they fired a barrage of insults jacked up homeowners’ mortgage interest rates been battling and completely baseless attacks at her. or slashed people’s credit lines. the creation of It was so bad that Democratic subcommit- This simple, modest step to protect the public the CFPB since tee member John Yarmuth of Kentucky felt com- is just “too much for the lords of finance to stom- President Obama pelled to apologize to Warren. He pointed to what ach,” as columnist Sam Webb wrote here recently. proposed it. it’s really about, telling her: He noted that the Wall Street lobbying machine “This hearing is all about impugning you be- has “gone into overdrive” to crush or weaken this cause people are afraid of you and your ability to and other financial reform measures. communicate in very clear terms the threats to Their Republican frontmen in the Senate are our consumers and the threats to our constitu- now trying to use a procedural maneuver to block ents and possibly very, very effective ways to the president from making a recess appointment combat them.” of Elizabeth Warren while the Senate is on break Republicans have been battling the creation next week. of the CFPB since President Obama proposed it. “Bottom line,”our columnist John Case said ThinkProgress notes that “Warren in par- last summer, “you want credit or a mortgage that ticular has emerged as the GOP’s primary enemy doesn’t turn into Frankenstein on you?? - call on the issue.” and write your senators and congressperson to Warren has a long record as an expert and confirm Eilzabeth Warren.” outspoken defender of consumers - in other words, Do it now.

www.peoplesworld.org Page 2 Union helped hotel worker stand up to IMF chief

By John Wojcik

everal articles in the major media are discussing the high risk of sexual assault that housekeepers face in hotels. Sex- ual assault and harassment is rampant, Smaids are afraid to complain to management be- cause of fear of losing their jobs and perpetrators think there is little chance they’ll get caught. Dominique-Strauss Kahn, former chief of the International Monetary Fund, wasn’t so lucky, however, because he picked the wrong place to prey on a worker - a union hotel in New York. “After he was arrested there was a lot of self- congratulatory praise and back slapping for how well this was handled in the United States, as op-

posed to how it might have been handled in some make a complaint to management and not worry European countries, including France,” said Tula about being ridiculed or putting her job at risk.” Connell, a spokesman for the AFL-CIO. (A num- Most workers in the hospitality industry are ber of articles on the case claim matters involving Maids often don’t non-union and have few rights. They can be dis- sexual predation are more routinely swept under report sexual ciplined or fired without cause at any time. Those the rug in European countries.) harassment who are undocumented live almost entirely with- “But speaking out publicly against so pow- because it out any protection from the law. erful a world figure from the vantage of a hotel- happens so often. The union says that management philosophy maid required guts and, in addition, it required in the luxury service business expects workers to a union.” behave with extreme civility toward customers, Connell cited an article by Adele Stan, an in- who are called “guests.” The “customer is always dependent journalist, that said, “By any measure right” philosophy holds sway, the union says. it was risky. There’s a reason most rapes go unre- Stassel said the most common incidents are ported. But there was one thing that the house- men answering the door naked, and workers being keeper knew could not be done to her for report- asked for sex, with or without pay. ing her account, she could not be fired because of Since the Strauss-Kahn arrest, many are her membership in a union, the New York Hotel speaking out more to one another, according to Trades Council.” Arelia Valdiva, an organizer with Unite Here, Lo- In a statement issued by the labor-backed cal 11 in Los Angeles. for Economic Policy and Research, their Stassel said maids often don’t report sexual director Dean Baker said, “In this particular case, harassment because “it happens so often.” the housekeeper belonged to a union that has “Union contracts are important,” she said, provisions in its contract that require the man- “because they empower workers to speak up and agement to take cases of sexual assault seriously. demand justice.” This meant the housekeeper knew that she could

www.peoplesworld.org Page 3 local news Local contact [email protected] Tornado en Joplin, Misurí, el más mortífero en 60 años Michigan 2012 race has begun Por Alan Scher Zagier and Jim Salter os socorristas se centraron Centro Médico Regional de St. John. By Joel Wendland en las tiendas y complejos El hospital confirmó que cinco de de apartamentos de Joplin, los fallecidos eran pacientes, todos el- itizens United, a Supreme Court abriendo agujeros en losas los en condición crítica antes de que decision that eliminated disclo- Lde concreto y buscando entre artícu- pegara el tornado. Un visitante tam- sure laws and limits on much cam- los regados, en una frenética búsque- bién pereció en el hospital. paign spending, Republicans have da de sobrevivientes del tornado que El tornado destruyó posible- Can almost bottomless well of money to buy dejó 117 muertos, el más mortífero mente “miles” de viviendas, dijo el misleading TV attack ads from shady front que haya sufrido Estados Unidos en jefe de bomberos, Mitch Randles, a groups with innocuous sounding names. unos 60 años. la AP. El fenómeno arrasó con cien- Well-organized people-to-people cam- Sin inmutarse por relámpagos, tos de negocios, incluidos algunos paigns have shown, however, that such ventarrones, la lluvia y el frío, los so- grandes como la tienda para materi- drives can be beaten. corristas buscaban víctimas entre vi- ales de construcción Home Depot y The presidential election holds special viendas, negocios y vehículos destrui- una tienda Wal-Mart. implications for working families in Michi- dos por el tornado en esta localidad El desastre fue el segundo de gan, a key state for the Electoral College vote de Misurí, mientras los pronósticos mayor magnitud que deja un tornado tally. del clima advierten de una posible en menos de un mes. En abril, una se- Republicans are also targeting Sen. Deb- nueva tanda de temporales. rie de remolinos recorrieron seis esta- bie Stabenow. In their quest for a filibuster- La cifra de víctimas fatales al- dos del sur con resultado de al menos proof 60 votes, they need to unseat her. But canzó 117 el martes y posiblemente 300 muertos, poco más de dos tercios her popularity and leadership have proven a aumente. El número de muertos es el de estos en Alabama. huge obstacle for even finding a Republican mayor en casi seis décadas. En Joplin, una parte del paisaje opponent. Los socorristas rescataron el de la localidad quedó irreconocible. In addition, only nine seats are needed lunes a 17 personas de entre los es- Casas en hileras fueron reducida a to flip the state House of Representatives to combros y el gobernador Jay Nixon escombros, numerosos automóviles Democratic control to check the current un- dijo que las cuadrillas continuarán las quedaron aplastados como latas de fettered power of the GOP in the state. Un- búsquedas hasta que se conozca el pa- gaseosas y numerosos residentes, seating two Republican members of the state radero de todos los desaparecidos. todavía conmocionados, recorrían Supreme Court will also be an important line “Los socorristas creen que to- calles en busca de los desaparecidos on the 2012 ballot. davía hay personas vivas”, dijo Nixon de sus familias. Anxiety and hardship due to the eco- a The . Se trajeron El peligro para nada ha termina- nomic crisis in Michigan and over-confi- reflectores para que continuaran las do. Persistían diversos incendios de- dence about the 2008 election probably búsquedas durante la noche del lunes bido a fugas de gas en la localidad. El suppressed the vote here, leading to very al martes. ambiente olía a amoniaco y propano odd electoral outcomes in 2010. The tide in Un tornado causó estragos el do- en algunas zonas de desastre. Michigan is turning. People are fed up with mingo por la noche en el centro de the right-wing agenda. That isn’t what they Joplin, una localidad de 50.000 per- voted for in 2010. sonas al sur de Misurí y cuya fuerza Resisting Republican policies now is laboral la constituyen obreros manu- important, but harnessing this anger to mo- ales. El meteoro causó daños en el bilize a big electoral victory in 2012, includ- ing the reelection of the president in 2012, national contact a progressive majority in Congress, and key state and local level candidates and issues Editorial: (773) 446-9920 Business: (212) 924-2523 will be just as important. Email: [email protected]

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