NBA Legend Charles Barkley Reminds Us He’s An All-Star Ally

Charles Barkley is a long-time ally to the LGBTQ+ community and he reminded us yet again why he’s our All-Star ally in a video that has recently gone viral of him not mincing words when it comes to his love of queer and trans folks. 

The former NBA player was on stage at a hotel and casino in Las Vegas, when he told the crowd. “I want to say this: If you’re gay and transgender, I love you! Hey and if anybody give you s**t, you tell them Charles said ‘F**k you!’” Now, this is the kind of energy we love to see in an ally. 

This isn’t the first time that Barkley, aka “Sir Charles”, has made his support for queer folks known; He’s has been a long-time supporter of same-sex marriage. “I think if [gay people] want to get married, God bless them,” Barkley said in an interview with ESPN in 2006.

In 2017, he helped push NBA commissioner Adam Silver to relocate the All-Star Game from Charlotte, North Carolina to New Orleans following the announcement of the former’s House Bill 2, aka the “Bathroom Bill.” “Well, I hated the bathroom bill,” Barkley said during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “So I went to my boss and said, ‘Hey, boss. I’m gonna sit out of the All-Star Game. I don’t want to take away from the All-Star Game, but I’m gonna sit out the All-Star Game.’”

“I think in a time when you’re Black, you got to stand up for other people. Black people know what discrimination is like. If you’re in a position of power, you got to always stand up against discrimination. I’ve been blessed, man, and I’m never going to sit back and let discrimination happen on my watch,” he continued. 

We’re so glad to have him on our team. 

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