Boston Herald Steve Buckley is Gay (Dennis: credit, home, employment) - Massachusetts (MA) - City-Data Forum

rapking of boston · 01-06-2011, 11:53 AM

For those who care's here is the story Welcome to my coming-out party - BostonHerald.com My opinion I don't care about anyone personnel life . Gay/Straight WHO CARE"S !!! Steve Buckley please go back talking about sports ( that what the Herald is paying you for ).

bostonguy1960 · 01-06-2011, 10:43 PM

He seemed to get a lot of support on WEEI this afternoon from the regular callers on the Weiner Whiner Line segment which airs at the end of each show about 6 pm. Usually lots of off-color and snide remarks (which makes the segment fun and witty). I heard most of that 10-minute segment, and it seemed all callers supported him, while some made good-natured sarcastic remarks as is the intent of the show.

I really think it may prove awkward for him despite the support he's getting from some (many?). It helps that he's a veteran writer in Boston, I suppose. Some callers claim they weren'r surprised at his revelation. He credits Glen Ordway, the biggest personality on the show, for supporting him when he said he needed to discuss his professional career with him months ago. WEEI's Dennis & Callahan show in the a.m. took different sides: one claimed it's not as brave as it would have been 10-15 yrs. ago to come out; the other claims it's still a big deal because he's around male athletes, IN their locker room --and that some of these athletes are from parts of the U.S. not as enlighted to gay males as (supposedly) we are here in the Boston/Massachusetts area.

I'm sure most athletes nowadays are at least self-trained to say the right things publicly at least; but, let's see how the next macho jock reacts to a negative story by Steve Buckley from now on.

Seems both Dennis & Callahan, if I recall from their comments, were already aware of his homosexuality.

JacksonPanther · 01-07-2011, 02:54 PM

I was all prepared to mention the "locker room" issue, when I realized it was stupid.

After all these years and so many unseemly incidents, why are we still having locker room interviews? Let the players shower and change in private, then come out to a "media room" for interviews. This concept of the locker room interview needs to go away.

Redsox1972 · 01-07-2011, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rapking of boston

For those who care's here is the story Welcome to my coming-out party - BostonHerald.com My opinion I don't care about anyone personnel life . Gay/Straight WHO CARE"S !!! Steve Buckley please go back talking about sports ( that what the Herald is paying you for ).

I totally understand your point. I agree that one's sexual preference shouldn't be part of the story.

However .... the number of people, particulary prominent, who cover sports and are known to be gay is actually quite few. This is not to mention how very few pro athletes have come out. So, when it comes to pro sports, this is still somewhat underchartered waters.

Also, I have a hunch that someone might have outed Buckley at somepoint. And, in order to just get it out there so the athletes he covers hear it from him, he decided to take the story public.

I think the way Buckley has handled this is to be commended. He's not out there waving any flags our preaching at anyone. Also, there is a lot of interest on this topic out there as it has become a national new story.

lrfox · 01-07-2011, 09:12 PM

Normally I'd say, "who cares?" about someone coming out. I'd rather live in an environment where someone being homosexual isn't news; it's the accepted as perfectly normal.

However, given Buckley's area of employment and the general environment of sports media, he's a pioneer of sorts. I wish him the best. I'm happy he has a lot of support. I remember when I heard, my first thought was "oh, no... I don't want to hear the whiner line today." I guess it wasn't bad. Hopefully he has the same support from his coworkers and the athletes he often works with.

bostonguy1960 · 01-08-2011, 02:43 AM

WBZ 1030 AM's Steve Laveille (sp?) closed his overnight radio broadcast at 4:55 am with some nice words for Buckley (even though both are on competing stations).

Buckley will be on WBZ 1030 AM Monday, Jan. 10, at the 10 pm hour as Dan Rea's guest.

Buckley is a columnist, not just a reporter, so perhaps it's more newsworthy to readers because he gives his opinion, unlike a beat reporter. Perhaps I'd wonder why a beat reporter for a team might do so, though. Plus, when he's on WEEEI radio (unsure how regulalry), he also gives his opinions. Thus, a listener/reader has a relationship of sorts with him over the years.

Hey, openly gay Randy Price, a respected newsman in Boston for many years on different stations, has been profiled on Ch. 7 at home in Maine with his partner cooking during Ch. 7's profiles of their staff at home cooking with family during their brief holiday station promos. I like that. But it bothers me at times that the morning news anchors sometimes get too silly and cutesy with each other and the viewer; I just want the news. However, it's nice, at least for me, to get to know local personalities on another level during non-news segments; we sure get enough tabloid stuff on national celebrities whether wanted or not!

AandD · 01-08-2011, 04:57 PM

Sexual orientation is sooo last decade.

I'd really prefer not to know what anyone does in their private life. My opinion of a person changes not one iota with regards to which team they bat for, and I long for a day when the general consensus of the population at large is the same.

Beachcomber4 · 01-08-2011, 08:39 PM

Steve Buckley has done his job and done it in such a professional manner that it's just not a big deal. Remember when women started covering sports and the argument was made against their presence in the locker room? That was all for naught and it's business as usual (well except of course when it's the Jets locker room or if Brett Favre is around).

goyguy · 01-09-2011, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AandD

Sexual orientation is sooo last decade.

I'd really prefer not to know what anyone does in their private life. My opinion of a person changes not one iota with regards to which team they bat for, and I long for a day when the general consensus of the population at large is the same.

Do you know what Buckley does on his own time now that you're aware of one more fact about him? It makes me snicker every time somebody says a person should "keep their sex life private." Pictures on one's desk of their opposite-gender spouse and kids, chat about a recent or upcoming vacation or night out, and so on are just that. Nobody rolls their eyes over how so-and-so flaunted their heterosexuality or how they're not interested in the person's private life and wish they'd keep it to themselves. Attitudes are evolving and improving (at least around New England), but the same antagonism is still there. Now slurs are replaced with code expressions, the classic "I'm not prejudiced, but..." and "Why did she have to tell me that?"

All this is totally forgivable in my book. I don't think the same way I did 15-20 years or so ago either. Someone tied in with sports in any way, or - for women - with an aspect of life like fashion, is still taking a leap into the void when they out themselves. Laws (which aren't on the books in most states and indeed were voted off in many) or no laws, Buckley took no small risk in making his announcement. I join those applauding him for it. That'll conceivably make for at least one aspiring sports columnist's holding onto his dream instead of thinking he'll have to aim for a "safe" profession like hair styling. Not that there's anything wrong with a gay guy being a hair stylist.

Redsox1972 · 01-10-2011, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goyguy

Do you know what Buckley does on his own time now that you're aware of one more fact about him? It makes me snicker every time somebody says a person should "keep their sex life private." Pictures on one's desk of their opposite-gender spouse and kids, chat about a recent or upcoming vacation or night out, and so on are just that. Nobody rolls their eyes over how so-and-so flaunted their heterosexuality or how they're not interested in the person's private life and wish they'd keep it to themselves. Attitudes are evolving and improving (at least around New England), but the same antagonism is still there. Now slurs are replaced with code expressions, the classic "I'm not prejudiced, but..." and "Why did she have to tell me that?"

All this is totally forgivable in my book. I don't think the same way I did 15-20 years or so ago either. Someone tied in with sports in any way, or - for women - with an aspect of life like fashion, is still taking a leap into the void when they out themselves. Laws (which aren't on the books in most states and indeed were voted off in many) or no laws, Buckley took no small risk in making his announcement. I join those applauding him for it. That'll conceivably make for at least one aspiring sports columnist's holding onto his dream instead of thinking he'll have to aim for a "safe" profession like hair styling. Not that there's anything wrong with a gay guy being a hair stylist.

Well said!