So I know this is a little late, but one of my hobbies is beating dead horses — metaphorically, of course. There’s no doubt that C.J. Leslie’s tweets about not wanting anyone gay in “his” locker room were offensive and ignorant. What I was interested in is whether the tweets were written maliciously, or if they originated from pure ignorance. There were different reactions around campus to C.J.’s tweets; some laughed, some shook their heads in embarrassment and disapproval, others asked, “Why, C.J.?! Why?” I’ll tell you why, and, since you’re reading this, I’m going to assume that you, the devoted reader, want my opinion.

The first of many poorly crafted tweets by C.J. Leslie read, “I’m no anti gay But I would rather not have a gay n the locker room.” Once you get past the multitude of grammar and spelling errors, the message is clear: Leslie is so d*** good-looking that if there were any gay athletes on the basketball team, they would surely be unable to resist staring at his god-like figure.

If anything, Leslie was trying to protect the GLBT community. Twitter doesn’t allot many characters — I think it’s safe to assume the rest of Leslie’s tweet would have read, “…because angels sing when I get naked and I really think it would be like hanging a juicy steak barely out of reach of a homeless person. #knowwhatImean? #totallynotignorant.” Who knows how many broken hearts would be left in his path if he hadn’t made this preemptive strike.

Let’s give Leslie the benefit-of-the-doubt and assume he knows better than to imply that gay athletes should be discriminated against. He knows better than to stereotype the GLBT community as a people that are all sex addicts with the inability to curb their sexual urges.

After Leslie was scolded by the public, he gave the most sincere apology within the 140 character limit possible, ” Wanna apologize for hurting or offending any 1 with my tweets yesterday.” Good enough, right? I mean, he took the time to type out everything. Well, almost everything.

Let’s be serious for a moment. It’s sad that ignorant comments got so much attention from the media. Generally, college campuses provide an open-minded and safe atmosphere. I would advise everyone take the tweets for what they’re worth — and since we didn’t pay for Leslie’s opinion, that’s nothing. Leslie is entitled to his opinion, and as educated individuals, we decide whether or not we agree.

As a straight ally, I think the comments were uncalled for and spawned from ignorance. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals should not be discriminated against out of fear or inability to understand a different culture.

Whether you agree with it or not, gay sex is happening. It’s fair to say that if you don’t agree with gay sex and it’s not happening to you, then it’s probably best to keep your tweets and hurtful comments to yourself. Denying the GLBT community access to the same privileges we enjoy everyday is to take away unalienable rights, which, in turn, makes them alienable.

The tweets may have been deleted, but prejudice towards the GLBT community still exists. It’s not a lifestyle you have to agree with — just accept that it’s reality. I welcome further discussion on the issue.