If I told you I was uncomfortable around Canadians because they like to eat Americans, would you say "hey, you're just being honest"? No, you'd say "you've been misinformed. You need not be afraid of Canadians."

And this is my point about the way gay people are seen in our society. Torii Hunter would be uncomfortable in a shower room with an openly gay man. But it's only because he doesn't understand that a gay man in a shower room is only doing the same thing as a straight man in a shower room: showering. As I said three years ago, society associates "being gay" with "gay sex." As if the only thing gay people do is have sex. Everybody needs to learn that a gay person is first and foremost a person.

Here's another example for straight people: Let's say someone kidnapped you and locked you in a basement, naked, with one other person. Who would you rather that person be? Your straight worst enemy or your lifelong best friend who just came out of the closet? (This goes right along with the fact that people have no problem with a raping, cheating, abusive straight man being allowed to marry a woman, but can't stand the thought of two wonderful, loving gay men being allowed to get married themselves. As long as the sex part fits into the idea of "normal," anything goes!)

What do people think? That there are gay men who say, "Hmmm, what if I became a pro athlete? That way I can look at straight men (who I'm not interested in because I'm gay) naked in the locker room! So I'll quit my job, start training like crazy (if I can stop myself from having dirty sinful gay sex for two seconds), incredibly make the majors, then find a nice spot in the shower and just sit there, staring at Torii Hunter's ass while he showers ALL DAY LONG. It's the perfect plan!"?

And let's say a guy really did come up with that plan and succeeded in it. What is Torii afraid of? That the gay man's thoughts will penetrate into his own mind and make him gay? Will the man send a "mental penis" through the pungent air and into Torii's butt, scarring him for life? And why is Torii so comfortable with straight men seeing him naked game after game for decades? This guy sees 24 dicks a day, but it would "difficult" for him if one of those were attached to a gay brain? What's the goddamn difference at this point? Is he worried seeing a gay penis will instantly make him gay, but seeing an entire roomful of straight ones clears him on all counts? And if he's worried what other people's thoughts can do to him, or what his own thoughts can turn him into, how does he function in society? It's gonna be okay, Torii, I promise!