Homophobic?

https://nypost.com/2019/07/15/uswnts-ashlyn-harris-fires-back-at-estranged-teammate-you-are-homophobic/

Yesterday, lesbian US women's soccer team goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris tweeted re former US teammate Jaelene Hinkle, who had declined to wear a "Gay Pride" soccer jersey 2 years ago and subsequently claimed that the US women's soccer team wasn't a "welcoming place for Christians":

“Hinkle, our team is about inclusion. Your religion was never the problem. The problem is your intolerance and you are homophobic. You don’t belong in a sport that aims to unite and bring people together. You would never fit into our pack or what this team stands for.”

Hinkle declined a call-up to the USWNT two years ago because she didn’t want to wear a Pride-themed jersey in support of LGBTQ rights.

(1) Why in the world were the US team's players asked to wear a "Gay Pride" jersey to begin with? I'm gay. I don't want to be discriminated against. I want to be allowed to marry who I want to marry, I want visitation rights at my partner's hospital bed, etc. Equal Protection under the 14th Amendment and all that good stuff. But being gay doesn't mean that the rest of the world should be forced to cheerlead/wear T-shirts for me. Give me my civil rights and leave me alone.

(2) RE being "homophobic":  "Phobia" means "fear of." I don't think that most people, including Jaelene Hinkle, "fear" gays. I think there's the old "I hate gays because what they do in bed is unnatural and against the Bible," and then: "I don't care what they do, but I don't have to be forced to support it." I think the latter is a fair stance. Again, as a gay person, I don't give a damn what people think of me --- I just want equal rights and to be left alone.

(3) RE soccer being "a sport that aims to unite and bring people together": Well, yes and no. First and foremost: Sports teams are about merit and COMPETITION. If people come together via a sports team, it's in rooting for your city/nation to defeat the competitor. It's not, obviously, about making everyone feel good or about espousing political stances.

(4) Back to the "Gay Pride" jersey issue: What's next --- Black Lives Matter, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, I Love Jesus jerseys? None of it has anything to do with soccer. All of it should be excluded from soccer (and other sports) jerseys.