Three-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns is proving to be one of the biggest LGBTQ+ allies in the NBA
told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune about the significance of Towns’ gesture.Subscribe to our daily newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.“The community doesn’t see a lot of athletes who stand up and are welcoming to the community, so to have him express how important it is, it’s amazing,” he told reporter Chris Hine.“Those are things that these two kids will never forget and I can talk about to the community, and the community is not always positive toward the Timberwolves, but we’re getting there, and things like that mean the world.”With his last sentence, Otto is probably referencing a couple of anti-LGBTQ+ incidents from last season.
Most notably, NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards used homophobic language on social media, and only incurred a $40,000 fine. A few months later, center Rudy Gobert “liked” a tweet from Elon Musk mocking pronoun use.
Towns’ strong support for the LGBTQ+ community represents a nice antidote to those episodes. On the issue of gay rights, it’s apparent where he stands.With us!Hine, who’s also gay, posted Otto’s kind words on social media.Karl-Anthony Towns had Twin Cities Pride executive director Andi Otto and his family as guests tonight.
Otto said Towns' support in welcoming the crowd and getting to meet him "meant the world" not just to to him but likely to others in attendance, especially LGBTQ youth.
