Charles Barkley Tells Anti-LGBTQ Bigots “F**k You”
NBA Hall of Famer expresses support for LGBTQ community while criticizing boycotts of Bud Light and other pro-equality corporations.
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has criticized attempts by right-wingers to “cancel” corporations or individuals who seek to market to or show support for the LGBTQ community.
In two now-viral videos, Barkley is seen standing in front of a crowd while taking part in a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, slamming anti-LGBTQ actors who boycotted Bud Light and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, for partnering with transgender TikTok personality Dylan Mulvaney for an online marketing promotion.
In the first video, Barkley encourages the crowd to drink Bud Light and expresses support for members of the LGBTQ community.
“I want to say this,” Barkley says. “I want y’all to drink this f*ck*g beer. I want y’all to drink this f*ck*g beer. I got three cases of Bud Light. Hey, and I want to say this. If you’re gay, bless you. If you’re transgender, bless you. And if you have a problem with that, f*ck you!”
“I’m gonna buy some drinks for y’all, and I’m gonna buy Bud Light,” Barkley says in a second video, which was shot the following evening. “Hey, and I’m gonna tell y’all something. All you rednecks or a**holes who don’t want to drink Bud Light, f**k y’all.”
“Y’all can cancel me. I ain’t worried about getting canceled because if yall fire me and give me all that money I’m going to be playing golf every f**king day.”
“So listen, as I said last night, if you’re gay, God bless you. If you’re trans, God bless you. And if you have a problem with them, f**k you.”
This is not the first time Barkley has stood with the LGBTQ community. In 2011 he spoke against bigotry during a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. before a Celtics-Magic game.
“You know, people try to make it about black and white. He [Dr. King] talked about equality for every man, every woman. We have a thing going on now — people discriminating against homosexuality in this country.
“I love the homosexual people. God bless the gay people. They are great people.”
In 2013, he critiqued the prevalence of homophobia within the sports world in response to some players’ alleged discomfort around the idea of having LGBTQ teammates following NBA player Jason Collins coming out as gay. During an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, when asked if he’d ever played alongside gay teammates he responded: “Yeah, of course I did!”
“Everybody did. Everybody played with a gay teammate, Dan, and it’s no big deal,” he said.
“First of all, I think it’s an insult to gay people to think they’re trying to pick up on their teammates,” Barkley added. “But everybody’s played with a gay teammate.”
Barkley currently appears on Inside the NBA on TNT where he provides insights and analysis on games and basketball-related topics.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
