A video, originally posted to TikTok by user I. banana, taken earlier this month at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe, a casino located in Stateline, Nevada shows NBA legend Charles Barkley pledging his support for the LGBT community
The clip shows the 11-time NBA All Star onstage telling a crowd that, “If you’re gay or transgender, I love you. And if anyone gives you any shit, tell ’em Charles says f**k you!”
This is not the first time that Barley has stood up for the gay community.
In a 2013 interview on The Dan Patrick Show, he expressed support for out NBA player Jason Collins. “Everybody’s played with a gay teammate,” he said at the time. “As a Black man, I’m always inclusive.”
In 2016, Barkley also spoke out strongly against North Carolina’s infamous bathroom bill, which would have barred transgender people from using public restrooms that corresponded with their gender identity. He even went so far as to call for the NBA’s 2017 All-Star Game to be relocated from Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I think anytime you’re Black, you got to stand up for other people because you – Black people know what discrimination is like. And if you’re in a position of power, you got to always stand up against discrimination. And I’m blessed man, and… I’m never gonna sit back and let discrimination happen on my watch.” – Charles Barkley
“If you’re gay or transgender, I love you. And if anyone gives you any shit, tell em Charles says f*ck you!” – Charles Barkley pic.twitter.com/c1tUbvX5ga
— Ned Balme (@NedBalmeLives) July 15, 2022