What The Heart Wants

The Poisoned Pen

Kill The Hate, Greg!

Lauren Green, PhillySoccerBlog dot com

Thursday night, what should have been a majestic kickoff for our city's newest professional sports team was sullied by the constant intrusions of Greg Orlandini, host of the KYW Philly Soccer Show. He attempted to use his access at the Hearts United gala put on by the Philadelphia Hearts to inquire as to the private lives of the team's players, continuing a pattern of harassment that has lasted more than a week. For a team that has chosen to combat the hatred that has been heaped upon members of the women's soccer community, being caught in the crosshairs by a member of the press in its own backyard is something that is not deserved.

Orlandini seems to have an axe to grind about women in sport, particularly those who choose to love other women in sport. What's his beef? Does he hate women's sports in general? Believe that female athletes should be seen and not heard? Please, Greg, for the well-being of this city and its sports fans who already get a bum rap because of our history with rowdiness, made famous by the booing of Santa Claus at an Eagles' game a number of years ago, KILL. THE. HATE. The Hearts should be commended for embracing the idea that we all should be free to live as we wish, without fear of reprisal or of unethical muckrakers who want to divulge our most intimate secrets for their own personal agendas.

The club has begun the process for a potential harassment lawsuit against Orlandini, believing that he has stepped too far over the line in his attempts to verify facts concerning the legal situation of a former teammate of the Hearts' captain. He has asked on more than one occasion for confirmation of his outrageous theories and his attacks have also been laid-out on other members of the team, including the use of a sexual slur which caused another member of the Hearts to launch into a foreign-language tirade against him. I for one hope they succeed in bringing him to justice, because freedom of the press should not equal freedom to oppress.

*****

Fabrice, 

By the time you read this, I will be about two hours into a journey to finding myself. I have come to the conclusion that I cannot marry you because, although I love you, I am not in love with you, and because I have feelings for a number of other women that would make remaining faithful to you virtually impossible. Please do not hate me. I never told you about my being bisexual because I did not want to be eventually outed and have to face the harassment from the media and fans that I have now seen friends and loved ones of mine experience. I wish you the best in getting over me and in finding someone who can love you as you deserve.

Morgan