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Folks really need to stop lying on their private parts.

And I am talking about Andrew “Chad” Caldwell. You know: The paisley suit-wearing, born-again Christian who was “delivert” from homosexuality and now likes “womenz”?

Last week, he went on a radio show called The ShakeUP and told the hosts that in his previous gay life, he was involved in an affair with former NFL player Kordell Stewart. The “affair” allegedly happened while Stewart was still married to Porsha Williams, who is one of the stars of the Real Housewives of Atlanta.

The news made some suspicious. Mainly because of the bearer. In addition to what some believe are dubious claims about his “cured” sexuality, there are also reports that Caldwell was once busted for insurance fraud.

Still, gay rumors have long followed Stewart, the self-proclaimed traditional man. Williams even alluded to her ex being gay during an episode of RHOA, calling Stewart a “messy queen.” So the story certainly seemed plausible; titillating at the least.

But Stewart has denied the rumors, which isn’t a surprise, telling TMZ Sports: “I don’t know the guy. I’ve never heard of him…There’s no room in my personality for that lifestyle. It’s not what I believe in. I’m a heterosexual man.”

Well, despite all of the rumors and speculation, it seems that Stewart was telling the truth. In a recorded interview obtained by The Shade Room, Caldwell comes clean and admits that he made the whole thing up. He also took a moment and apologized to the former Pittsburgh Steeler for any damage he may have done to his image.

To be more specific, he said, “I want to personally apologize to Kordell Stewart for mentioning his name and making false accusations.”

He also admitted that he does not even know Stewart and promised that he would not mention the retired football star’s name again, let alone make any more false allegations about him in any further interviews. Caldwell confirmed in the interview obtained by The Shade Room that no one forced him to make the statement and that he was apologizing on his own free will.

Of course, even with Caldwell’s apology, the damage to Stewart’s reputation has likely already been done. As previously mentioned, these rumors have long plagued Stewart. And there will be some who will see Caldwell’s retraction as just a ploy or conspiracy to cover things up.

It’s a shame that even as gay as an identity has become more accepted in some aspects of society and culture, the rumor of a secret gay lifestyle can still have a devastating effect on a person’s career and image.

Part of that is because of the lying in itself. Even though it is hard being gay (this is particularly true if you are gay, Black and male) in a patriarchal society, there is something about lying about it that is really self-indulgent and self-serving. And definitely hurtful, particularly to other folks like wives and partners who may unwillingly be invested in such a lie.

At the same time, you can’t fault (some) dudes for lying in some instances, particularly to a finicky public.

While sex scandals regardless of orientation are nothing new to celebrities, the sex scandals involving same-sex relationships usually come with greater consequences. This is particularly true for alleged and actual queer men. Remember the rapper Chingy? In an interview last year with VladTV, he said that false rumors about a relationship he allegedly had with transgender model Sidney Star cost him his record deal. And even though Star has since come out and admitted that she lied, those rumors still plague the rapper to this day.

Now, let’s say that the rumors are true and Stewart is queer (although he strongly contends he is not). The ridicule and mockery he is receiving now based on the rumors alone will never make Stewart, who comes from and honors his Bible-based and traditional background, feel comfortable to be himself in the world. Granted, much of that is still ego, but until we create safe spaces in society for our brothers and sisters in the LGBTQ communities to exist, we can not deny the maliciousness of such a rumor.

I don’t know if an apology is enough, or even if Stewart should pursue legal action. But I do feel that Caldwell and his opportunism needs to be called out for this.

But what do folks think? Is an apology enough?

 

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