Back in 2013, the tight end for the Patriots was arrested in connection to the murder of his fiancee's sister's boyfriend, Odin Lloyd. In 2015, he was convicted for the murder of Odin Lloyd and sentenced to life in prison. According to Newsweek, Lloyd had called Hernandez what he interpreted to be a gay slur and Hernandez feared Lloyd would out him as a bisexual. In 2017, he was also charged in a separate double homicide case but was acquitted of those charges. After the acquittal, the rumors of his bisexuality were discussed and even joked about with The Kirk & Callahan Show going as far as saying he was a "tight end on and off the field" who "became a wide receiver." Several days afterwards, he was found dead in his prison cell; the death ruled a suicide.
In his lawyer's new book, Unnecessary Roughness, Jose Baez discusses how Hernandez opened up about his affair with a man just before he killed himself. Baez said that as they were discussing their strategy, Hernandez broke down crying out of fear that his fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, would find out about this relationship with a man. On the topic, Hernandez said:
"She'll be devastated. I never meant to hurt her. I know I keep disappointing her. But she is my soul. She is all I have and will ever have."
Baez said that he seemed hopeful so the next day he talked to Jenkins. He said she was not shaken but he "could see the betrayal in her face." Jenkins wrote the forward for Baez's book and said she had no idea Hernandez was "gay or homosexual." She wrote:
"There has been much speculation about Aaron's sexuality since his death. I can say this: Aaron was very much a man to me. I saw no indication that he was gay or homosexual. I wish I had known how he felt, just so we could have talked about it. I wouldn't have disowned him. I would have been supportive. I can't fault him if he was feeling that way."
It is understandable that Hernandez would have wanted to remain in the closet given his place in American sports and in an overall hyper-masculine environment. Another one of Hernandez's lawyers said "I think he also came out of a culture that was so negative about gay people that he exhibited some self-hatred." reminding us that in the end, inner-homophobia can be as dangerous as outward homophobia.
h/t: lgbtqnation.com, oxygen.com
This line is disturbing:
This line is disturbing: "Aaron was very much a man to me. I saw no indication that he was gay or homosexual." Meaning you're not a man if your "gay or homosexual?" Hey, Shayanna Jenkins, I'm pretty sure you're a homophobe.
Yes, straight people have
Yes, straight people have homophobia. It's not something abnormal. It comes from a place of not understanding, and isn't always malicious, however hurtful it ends up being. Instead of polarizing this further by calling names, I think it would be helpful for all of us to try and practice compassion for her, in the same way as we would for Aaron Hernandez. It's clear he was suffering, especially if what is written in this story is true.
as if the gay community
as if the gay community doesnt have enough challanges with Trump and especially Pence. Now Aaron wants to join the club. No murderers allowed!
Really Brian Lange? Bitch you
Really Brian Lange? Bitch you may have come out with your parents throwing you a party and being supportive but not all of us had that privileged experience. Before my generation and the generations before us fought for what you know as reality the gay culture was considered an illness. So we were in hiding and some still are in areas where people still vote for Trump and other countries. Homophobic men are more likely to be gay than not. So in other words… Learn your place, shit isn't the way it is for you for LGBT around the world.