Will Tim Tebow Defend Gay Kids?

Tim Tebow, quarterback for the Denver Broncos, has a lot to say about hot-button issues like marriage and abortion. But a new petition is asking the footballer and his teammates to join the “It Gets Better” campaign and to take a stand against bullying and anti-gay violence.

The request could be quite a stretch (to say the least) considering that Tebow has recorded PSAs for the notoriously anti-gay group Focus on the Family, which advocates “praying the gay away” and is vehemently opposed to marriage equality.

But during this last year, many professional athletes and sports teams around the country have joined the “It Gets Better” campaign, including the Phillies and Orioles. “These teams have spoken out against bullying and hatred in our society,” says the petition, which already has more than 7,000 signatures.

Andy Szekeres, the man who started the petition, told USA Today recently: “It would really be an amazing thing for Tebow and the Broncos to do to really say, ‘We may have differences on abortion and gay marriage, but stopping kids from killing themselves is an issue we can all get behind.'”

Call us silly, but standing up for gay kids, while supporting groups that oppose equal rights, isn’t exactly a touchdown.