Josh Thomson has received some negative feedback from fans after posting questions on Twitter and Facebook regarding gay marriage. The Strikeforce and UFC veteran used his respective accounts to ask for feedback on where pro-marriage individuals draw the line. The tweets are still the topic of discussion in forum boards, despite the fighter going quiet about the subject since the initial interaction with fans.
On June 10, Thomson started by posting on his Twitter account:
“Should you be allowed to marry whoever you want? Before you answer that, should u be allowed to have more than 1 wife?”
The message was relayed on the fighter’s Facebook account automatically. Thomson received some opinions but no direct backlash for posing this particular question. However, in his follow-up comments on his Facebook, Thomson jumped into a kind of implied Reductio ad absurdum.
Thomson responded on his Facebook page:
“I’m not talking about just gay marriage. I’m talking about where does it stop? Where do you draw the line? People wanna marry animals, children, siblings, multiple husband/wives, etc?”
While the initial question is fair, the likening of homosexual adults of the same gender to children and animals garnered some negative feedback. Thomson was not without his backers, however.
Former UFC veteran and champion Pat Miletich responded on Thomson’s Facebook:
Josh is spot on. It may seem extreme to use some of his examples of ‘where does it end’ but I guarantee someone will want to marry their 1st cousin or even sibling. At what point does lack of civil liberty put this nation at risk? It’s already happened and will only get worse.
Miletich did not elaborate on how marriage alteration can create risk for a country.
Regardless of one’s stance on the issue, the initial question is fair. It is not impolite or improper for one to pose a question about social morality and practice. Thomson’s error appears to be in stretching his concern thin and utilizing poor logical formulation in the process.
The UFC has in the past handed out fines for anti-gay commentary; however, Thomson’s situation is not equal to past statements, like those made by Nate Diaz following his fight with Thomson. It will be interesting to note if the UFC does find any reason to reprimand the fighter.
To his credit, Thomson only posed a question. One can infer his stance, but he did not speak against homosexuals throughout the course of the debate. Still, the UFC is a private company, and some form of professional backlash could be seen in the coming days.
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