Sports channel ESPN fired former All-Star pitcher and top baseball analyst Curt Schilling after he showed his support for North Carolina's bathroom law on his personal Facebook account.
The law prohibits any city in the state from issuing ordinances that would allow people to use public bathrooms based on their preferred gender. Schilling slammed those who oppose the law as he posted a photo of a heavy-set man wearing a wig and women's clothing with parts of the T-shirt cut out to expose his breasts. It says: "LET HIM IN! to the restroom with your daughter or else you're a narrow-minded, judgmental, unloving racist bigot who needs to die."
He explained in the caption that the photo represented merely "my opinion, 100% mine, and only mine. I don't represent anyone but myself here, on Facebook, on Twitter, anywhere."
However, ESPN was not pleased with his post and promptly fired him on Wednesday, according to Life Site News.
"ESPN is an inclusive company," the company said in a statement. "Curt Schilling has been advised that his conduct was unacceptable, and his employment with ESPN has been terminated."
Christians are now coming out to support Schilling and have slammed ESPN for quashing social liberalism. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said that Schilling was targeted by ESPN because he "expressed politically incorrect views."
"Is it really so radical to suggest that people select the restroom or locker room that matches their anatomy, so as not to violate the privacy and even safety of the other 99.5 percent of society?" he asked.
Meanwhile, Traditional Values Coalition president Andrea Lafferty said ESPN's move to fire Schilling only "reinforces what Schilling shared on social media," which is the fact that people who voice out their thoughts on gender issues are immediately dismissed as an "unloving racist bigot."
"While some say the picture and post could have been more artfully communicated, Schilling is obviously as bewildered as the rest of us at this fast-speed train of gender lunacy," Perkins said.
Earlier, Schilling defended the photo on his blog, saying, "Let's make one thing clear right up front. If you get offended by ANYTHING in this post, that's your fault, all yours."
"See here's the thing," he continued. "I do NOT care what color you are, what race, what sex, who you sleep with, what you wear. I don't care and I never have. I have opinions, but they're just that, opinions. And opinions are like [expletive], everyone has one and they usually stink."
