Sacramento, Calif., May 12, 2008 / 20:53 pm
A former NBA basketball star who is a mayoral candidate for the city of Sacramento has been denounced by activists for stating his opposition to homosexual marriage. His opposition, they claim, makes him “not ready to lead this city.”
According to the California Catholic Daily, Kevin Johnson, 42, played for 12 seasons in the NBA before returning to Sacramento to start a non-profit agency to renew a rundown neighborhood and to educate underprivileged children. Political observers believe his bid to unseat incumbent Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo could succeed.
Near the end of a forum for mayoral candidates on May 7, each candidate was asked to give a yes or no answer to the question “Do you support gay marriage?” All of the seven candidates except for Johnson answered yes. Johnson said, “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman.”
A group of homosexual political activists called a press conference the next day to denounce Johnson’s comments.