ESPN'S Curt Schilling Fired After Apparent Anti-Transgender Comment on Social Media
On Wednesday, ESPN formally terminated Curt Schilling after the analyst drew massive criticism from various groups for his offensive comments against transgenders on social media.
According to E! News, the former All-Star pitcher appeared to respond to a meme that tackled North Carolina's transgender law. The said ruling bans transgender people from making use of bathrooms and some other facilities that do not correspond with their sex after birth.
In the comments section of the said Facebook photo, Schilling commented: "A man is a man no matter what they call themselves. I don't care what they are, who they sleep with, men's room was designed for the penis, women's not so much. Now you need laws telling us differently? Pathetic."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The analyst has since gained a lot of negative attention from not only the LGBT community but from other social media users who came across the post. He has since deleted the comment but ESPN was sure to make the biggest decision it has ever made regarding Schilling yet.
In a statement on the network's media website, ESPN said, "ESPN is an inclusive company. Curt Schilling has been advised that his conduct was unacceptable and his employment with ESPN has been terminated."
Meanwhile, Schilling defended himself earlier in the day for the said commentary. According to The New York Times, Schilling told Boston's WEEI radio, "I replied to the post. I didn't post that," referring to the reports that he actually re-posted the meme instead of merely giving his comment regarding the matter.
However, SB Nation's Outsports obtained a screen capture of the picture in question that shows Schilling apparently shared the image. The outlet also points out that Schilling has been known to give remarks about certain sensitive issues on social media.
ESPN, on the other hand, has always been clear regarding its inclusive stand on transgender people. One of its MLB editors, Christina Kahrl, according to the outlet, is a trans woman.
