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Yes, this is going to be a very mixed post!

A story I missed late last year was about the Canadian film Breakfast with Scot, which is the story of a gay couple (an ex-Toronto Maple Leafs player and the team’s lawyer) who adopt an 11-year-old. The film, which is to be released in Canada later this year, is a milestone because it was endorsed by the Maple Leafs and the NHL, who allowed the teams logos and jerseys to be used in the film. Unfortunately, what brought the movie to the forefront this week is that San Diego-based Christian activist “ex-gay” James Hartline is criticizing the NHL for its involvement with the film: “The National Hockey League is now becoming a willing partner with the fringe elements of the radicalized homosexual agenda and their ultimate goal of worldwide sexual anarchy.” All the more reason for everyone to support the film when it is released! You can read more about the movie and the controversy on Towelroad.

I’ve read some very cool and supportive comments in the wake of retired NBA player John Amaechi’s coming out this week. My favorite comes from Mavericks owner Mark Cuban: “From a marketing perspective, if you’re a player who happens to be gay and you want to be incredibly rich, then you should come out, because it would be the best thing that ever happened to you from a marketing and an endorsement perspective,” Cuban told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “You would be an absolute hero to more Americans than you can ever possibly be as an athlete, and that’ll put money in your pocket.

“On the flip side, if you’re the idiot who condemns somebody because they’re gay, then you’re going to be ostracized, you’re going to be picketed and you’re going to ruin whatever marketing endorsements you have.

“When you do something that the whole world thinks is difficult and you stand up and just be who you are and take on that difficulty factor, you’re an American hero no matter what. That’s what the American spirit’s all about, going against the grain and standing up for who you are, even if it’s not a popular position.”

And in a poll on ESPN.com about Cuban’s comments, more than 70% of the respondents agreed with him!

You can read more about Amaechi’s coming out on Towelroad

And the last item today is a shout out to one of my favorite NHL players, Jaromir Jagr. This past Saturday night, while he was playing against the Washington Capitals (the team that traded him to the Rangers), Jagr hit the 1,500 point mark. He’s only the 12th NHL player ever to reach this milestone, and it only took him 1,165 games to do it (that’s a combination of 612 goals and 889 assists). Way to go, Jagr!