Anthony edwards gay comments

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has been fined $40, for using offensive and derogatory language on social media, the NBA announced Tuesday. Edwards made anti-gay comments. Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves apologized Sunday for anti-LGBTQ remarks he made in a video posted to Instagram over the weekend. For the first time since using homophobic language in an Instagram video, NBA star Anthony Edwards apologized publicly, in-person at Minnesota Timberwolves media day on Monday.

The Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards said he is willing to make it right with the LGBTQ community following the anti-gay remarks he recently made on social media.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is

In a video posted to his Instagram account, Edwards, the first overall pick in the NBA draft, made anti-gay comments while describing a group of men standing on a sidewalk as he sat in a. The team's Pride Night comes against a backdrop of two events that have impacted its relationship with the LGBTQ community in recent months. By Chris Hine. As a Timberwolves season-ticket holder, Sabrina Hiller attended a meet-and-greet with the team's players in December.

The St. Paul native, like a lot of Wolves fans, gravitated toward Anthony Edwards as a favorite player because of his charisma and star potential on the court. But as someone who is pansexual, Hiller was disappointed when Edwards released a video on his Instagram account in September that contained homophobic remarks toward a group of men.

She saw Edwards' public apology at media day and wanted to share some thoughts with him. She got the chance to take a photo with Jaden McDaniels and Edwards, and the interaction then made her feel "a lot better" about her fandom of the player and the team. Hiller hopes to be in attendance Wednesday when the Wolves take on Portland in their annual Pride Night game.

But this Pride Night is unlike any other in the team's recent history because it comes against the backdrop of two significant actions that affected the team's relationship with its fans who identify in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.

First was Edwards' video, then came center Rudy Gobert's Twitter like of an Elon Musk tweet that mocked the use of personal pronouns, which are important to the trans community. Along with his apology, Edwards also pledged to work in the community, to do "whatever it takes," to repair the damage he caused. It's all love. Just come support, man. Have fun at the game and I'm going to put on a show for you guys.

Edwards said those actions are still in the works. Gobert also apologized a day after he liked the tweet in December , saying it was not his intent to hurt anyone and that he was sorry if he harmed any group of people. The actions reinforced that sports is still one of the areas of public life where LGBTQ people can feel unwelcome, despite the rights and acceptance those groups have gained over the last several years.

Hiller appreciated Edwards' apology and has tried not to let Gobert's liking of Musk's tweet detract from supporting the team. There are also fans who see it differently. Jenna Wegner, a trans Wolves fan from Minneapolis who found comfort in rooting for the Wolves as she was going through the difficult process of transitioning, thought Gobert's actions were "extremely gross" and wasn't satisfied with his apology.

Wegner said she won't be attending Pride Night so as not to feel like a "prop. Mary Lennick from Minneapolis plans to be in attendance and hopes to pick up some of the Pride merchandise the Wolves will have available. The team also will feature the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus performing the national anthem, a halftime performance from non-binary singer-songwriter-producer Ness Nite and monetary and ticket donations to LGBTQ groups, among other things.

Lennick is a fan of both the Wolves and Lynx and said as a lesbian, rooting for both teams under the same organizational umbrella has sometimes felt "like a tale of two different worlds. That feeling isn't as strong at Wolves games. But she said she is a "diehard Ant fan" and has tried to practice what she preaches in her own life in "giving people grace" when they have made a mistake. Fans also expressed a desire for Edwards and Gobert to realize that their platforms and actions affected not just them individually, but others within the community, especially young people who may be struggling with their sexual and gender identities.

Seeing messages or approval of words mocking LGBTQ people can be harmful for their well-being if they see some of their favorite athletes using or endorsing that language. Along those lines, several fans said they hope to see players offer words of support Wednesday night whether through recorded messages or live remarks before or after the game.

They hope the players are sincere in their apologies and that the organization is putting on this night for more than public relations purposes, that the actions and words of all involved are genuine and not performative. The Wolves get a second-rounder, cash and a trade exception, which eases their ability to make salaries work in future deals.