In a Huffington Post/YouGov poll released Thursday, while 60 percent of Americans approved of the idea of their favorite sports team signing an openly gay star (for NFL fans, 65 percent approved), 47 percent said it was “inappropriate” for networks to show the kiss only 36 percent said it was “appropriate.” 17 percent said they weren’t sure.Īs was perhaps to be expected, Democrats thought the kiss was appropriate to show (53 percent to 32 percent), but independents (45 percent to 36 percent) and a heavy majority of Republicans (69 percent to 16 percent) said it was inappropriate.
There was a lot in that kiss, both personal and indelibly political.Īnd, sadly, America doesn’t seem to have wanted to see it. But a smackeroo, full of all kinds of emotion and passion: a historic moment within a historic moment. What changed everything was that ESPN was on hand to capture the moment: Gay kisses in primetime are rare enough this was the first between the first openly gay football prospect and his partner. And so it was when Michael Sam kissed his boyfriend Vito Cammisano on hearing he had been picked in the seventh and last round of the draft for the St. You hug your partner, they kiss you, you kiss them, tears of joy flow.
