Michael Irvin: "Out" Cover Shows Fans Light at End of Sports Intolerance Tunnel

One of the biggest and most controversial topics of conversation in American society today is gay marriage. No matter who you talk to, everyone has an opinion one way or another.

While most athletes, past or present, have shied away from the topic, there are some who are starting to speak out. Dallas Cowboys Hall-of-Famer Michael Irvin went one step further in showing his support for gay rights.

In this month's issue of Out magazine, Irvin appears on the cover and talks at length about his hopes for equal rights for all people, regardless of race, sexual orientation, religion, etc.

In an excerpt appearing on ESPN.com, he talks about his brother, Vaughn, being gay and what role that might have played in the way that he lived his life.

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"And through it all we realized maybe some of the issues I've had with so many women, just bringing women around so everybody can see, maybe that's the residual of the fear I had that if my brother is wearing ladies' clothes, am I going to be doing that? Is it genetic?" Irvin said to Out.

"I'm certainly not making excuses for my bad decisions. But I had to dive inside of me to find out why am I making these decisions, and that came up."

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But Irvin never alienated his brother, who died from stomach cancer in 2006.

This article comes out shortly after former New York Giants receiver David Tyree caused a stir because of his comments about gay marriage. The Super Bowl XLII hero believes that allowing gay people to marry will wreak havoc on society.

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"What I know will happen if this does come forth is this will be the beginning of our country sliding toward, it is a strong word, but anarchy," Tyree said. "The moment we have, if you trace back even to other cultures, other countries, that will be the moment where our society in itself loses its grip with what's right."

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Tyree needs to get a clue because he clearly doesn't understand what marriage is all about.

Being a born-again Christian, you would think that he would know that we are supposed to love one another and not unfairly or unjustly judge people.

Irvin, meanwhile, deserves praise for stepping out and showing strong support for the gay community. No one twisted his arm to say what he said.

He isn't doing this to earn publicity points. He is saying what needs to be said by more professional athletes.

Too often in this country we hear more and more comments like the ones from Tyree and not enough of the ones from Irvin. That needs to change in a hurry.

People are afraid anything that is different and that they don't understand. When they are afraid of something the natural reaction is to do whatever it takes to stop it.

But that just shows the ignorance and intolerance of people like David Tyree.

Homosexuality is not a disease. It's not something that needs cured, nor is it something that anyone should be ashamed of.

Irvin's words, along with the number of other prominent celebrities, both gay and straight, who have spoken out in favor of gay rights, provide me with a lot of hope that someday very soon we will stop judging people based on race, sexual orientation, etc. and get to know the person.

There is a long way to go before we get there, but with each passing day the future looks a little bit brighter.

We need more athletes like Irvin, who understand their role and know the influence that they have in society and want to promote peace, love and togetherness.

Hopefully more athletes follow Michael Irvin's lead.