Man Of His Word by Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated

Here is a link to an article written by Michael Farber at Sports Illustrated.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1166489/index.htm

Here is an excerpt of the article:

After Brendan publicly revealed his sexual preference, Brian was flooded with requests to do advocacy work on behalf of gays. He told the groups that while he supported his son, he had other causes: land conservation, blood donation and children's literacy.

This was my response to Michael:

Hi Michael,

I just finished reading Man Of His Word, your Sports Illustrated article about Brian Burke. Thank you for writing it; it was beautifully written.

In the last paragraph on page 2, you wrote, "After Brendan publicly revealed his sexual preference...". The term "sexual preference" implies that being gay is a choice. I believe the more appropriate term is "sexual orientation".

My sexual orientation was assigned to me genetically, just like the color of my eyes and skin. I didn't have a choice in deciding on any of these attributes, so it wouldn't be fair in calling them preferences.

I strongly feel that one of the problems facing the gay community is the misconception that homosexuality is a choice. Some people assume that I woke up one morning and decided to be gay. Not to say I am not proud of who I am, and always proud to speak up on a subject that affects the gay community.

It is important that people understand that homosexuality isn't a decision that should be tolerated, but rather an attribute that should accepted.

Jeff Kagan

I was happy to get a reply, although it doesn't seem like he intends to revise his article:

Jeff,

Thanks for pointing out the difference.

Best wishes.

Michael Farber
SI senior writer