NBA center Jason Collins reveals in a May 6 edition of Sports Illustrated that he is gay. The 12-year NBA vet writes in an open letter about his decision to come out and why he did it. Earlier this month, former Baylor C Brittney Griner announced that she was gay prior to being selected #1 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft.
Jason Collins will be the first professional male gay athlete among the four pro major sports. Collins going about it on his own terms could open doors for others who had to hide their true sexuality under wraps in the face of scrutiny. Collins has received an outpouring of support from fellow athletes such as Baltimore Ravens player Brendon Ayanbandejo (@brendon310) who tweeted,
"By @jasoncollins34 opening doors & doing it his way on his time he has helped shape a more accepting America. May many more follow #courage," to former President Bill Clinton. Clinton's daughter, Chelsea and Collins were classmates at Stanford. Collins' Twitter following has increased by 16,000 since his decision.
Some expected the first professional gay athlete to be NFL player Kerry Rhodes, who has denied any allegations of being gay despite photos of him and a possible significant other on various web sites that say otherwise. To view the full letter in Sports Illustrated click here.
0 comments:
Post a Comment