Tony Dungy’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Rhetoric is Dangerous

By: Zachary Draves

Former Super Bowl winning head coach and current NFL on NBC analyst Tony Dungy is perceived as a man of great respect for his leadership skills on and off the field. However, there is a noticeable caveat. Over the years, he has demonstrated a clear lack of respect for the LGBTQ+ community. 

As noted by Cyd Zeilger at Outsports, Dungy’s history speaks for itself. He has always been against marriage equality, fostered a relationship with the notorious anti-LGBTQ+ group Focus on the Family, said he wouldn’t sign Michael Sam after he came out as gay in 2014, and said that being gay is a “lifestyle” after former NBA player Jason Collins came out in 2013. 

If that wasn’t enough, his latest action has taken on a whole new level of absurdity that he even makes George Santos more believable. 

On Wednesday, the far right website Daily Wire sent out a tweet about a Minnesota state representative advocating for schools to provide menstrual products in restrooms. In response, Dungy tweeted a conclusively debunked myth that there are some kids that identify as cats and that schools are providing litter boxes. 

(Courtesy: Twitter)

This bogus narrative has been circulating in extreme right-wing political circles for some time by commentators and elected officials as a way to further marginalize and stigmatize LGBTQ+ people. After palpable backlash, he later deleted the tweet. 

It is easy to laugh off Dungy’s comments because of their ridiculousness, but the truth is this is no laughing matter. 

This comes at a time when anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment is reaching a fever peach even as we continue to make remarkable strides for equality with signature achievements such as the passing of the Respect for Marriage Act. 

Already twenty days into the new year and there have been 120 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in state legislatures targeting everything from gender-affirming health care for trans and non-binary youth to drag performers. 

The justification for these measures on the part of those who are in support is based on the idea that somehow LGBTQ+ people are trying to “groom” children. This is a longstanding bigoted position that has sought to portray LGBTQ+ people as sexual predators. 

What Dungy and the others don’t know or maybe they do know and just don’t care is that they are the ones who are actually doing harm. 

According to the Trevor Project, 86% of transgender and non-binary youth say that this scourge in anti-trans legislation has negatively impacted their mental well-being. Also 45% of Trans youth experienced cyberbullying and 1 in 3 said that they felt unsafe going to a medical facility if they were either sick or injured.

Furthermore, 75% of LGBTQ+ youth said that threats of violence and acts of anti-LGBTQ+ violence, such as the Club Q shooting in Colorado, have rapidly increased levels of stress and anxiety. 

These are not just numbers these are real people who increasingly feel unprotected. 

Now we would be naïve to say that this is just a Tony Dungy problem. This is also a problem on the part of NBC who has continued to give him a platform despite his repeated history of homophobia and transphobia. 

(Courtesy: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

They still have not issued any sort of statement about this recent episode and by the looks of it they won’t any time soon. 

It is highly likely that the stipulations of Dungy’s contract that he signed states that he is not allowed to say or do certain things which ultimately violate HR policy and can jeopardize his position. 

He clearly did not live up to those obligations and therefore should be held accountable especially when lives are negatively affected. 

Tony Dungy likes to preach about the virtues of character, responsibility, and the word of God. Well maybe he should start practicing what he preaches and understand that the values of love and compassion actually exist outside his dangerously sanctimonious silo.