Jason Collins Comes Out As First Active Gay Male Athlete

[RealGM Wiretap]

Jason Collins of the Washington Wizards came out in Sports Illustrated story on Monday and opened up as the first active gay athlete in professional sports.

"I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay," Collins wrote.

"I'm glad I'm coming out in 2013 rather than 2003. The climate has shifted; public opinion has shifted. And yet we still have so much farther to go. Everyone is terrified of the unknown, but most of us don't want to return to a time when minorities were openly discriminated against."

Collins, a free agent, has had a 12-year NBA career and most notably appeared in back-to-back Finals with the New Jersey Nets.

Collins' twin brother, Jarron, also played 10 seasons in the NBA.

Via Franz Lidz/Sports Illustrated

[topsearch92]

Congrads Collins on your bravery to come out

[Calinks]

Wow, that's pretty big. Not the first athlete to admit they are gay though, there are many female athletes that have said they are.

[arjay702]

There's a few other gay athletes that have come out. I remember a gay Hawaiian NFL player a few years ago. I respect Jason's bravery though.

[DEEP3CL]

I have no problem with Collins making his announcement, but the real question here is this......if he's somehow waived or released in the near future how will it be taken ?

What will the media propaganda be ?

[Jeff Van Gully]

respect. let's hope this is another step towards tolerance in pro spors.

the homophobic culture has to be eradicated.

interesting to see a player do it on the tail end of his career. i wonder when we'll see the first star, or even rotation player, come out.

and no one should feel required to disclose their sexual orientation, but jason collins has just taken a big step for humanity.

serious question: is jarron collins gay too?

[Jeff Van Gully]

I have no problem with Collins making his announcement, but the real question here is this......if he's somehow waived or released in the near future how will it be taken ?

What will the media propaganda be ?

nah. no discussion. he's a marginal player at this point. if he were suddenly waived in his prime, that would be another story. he's barely rosterable at his point in his career. he's got one foot out of the league and the other on a banana peel.

[FNQ]

Good for him

But whoa-whoa-whoa on the 'active athlete' part... Letsee what happens there. He's not exactly a desired commodity when you consider his game. So now he'll have a media circus around him, will a team want to deal with that? I think Collins may have inadvertently announced his own retirement.

[Amory]

I fully support him coming out. Even if you are against gay marriage and think that being "gay" is a sin, I don't see why people won't just let other people live their lives (out comes the libertarian in me).

As it has been said, he isn't the best player in the world so let's see what happens to him. I hope people don't make a huge stink about it...

[Jeff Van Gully]

jarron collins is straight. not that it's important. i was just curious for scientific purposes.

[HartfordWhalers]

He just played 54 minutes last season, and has no contract as of now for next season. In the sense that the season is ongoing in the NBA, although not for his team, then he is an active athlete.

However, regardless of this announcement he might very well have played his last minutes in the league, and received his last paycheck, so its not clear that the term active applies.

Either way its a newsworthy story.

[coolbyme]

respect to Jason, i imagine it ain't easy ... one can only hope that a top-tier player comes forward, remember folks, roughly one in ten, yup ...

[Kevaroo]

Who cares? He's a washed up bum who is trying to make some cash as he knows his NBA career is over. No one even knows who he is, he's played on nearly half the teams in the NBA. Who cares what someones sexuality is as long as you don't suck.

[ermocrate]

respect. let's hope this is another step towards tolerance in pro spors.

the homophobic culture has to be eradicated.

interesting to see a player do it on the tail end of his career. i wonder when we'll see the first star, or even rotation player, come out.

and no one should feel required to disclose their sexual orientation, but jason collins has just taken a big step for humanity.

serious question: is jarron collins gay too?

Why? Because they are brothers?

No he isn't...

[Chuck Newhouse]

The picture of Collins on his NBA player profile is quite funny. It looks like Brooke Lopez is pulling his shirt off and possibly doing something to Jason from behind. Something I probably wouldn't have noticed yesterday.

Active player...ya whatever

[superelkman]

I don't see why people won't just let other people live their lives (out comes the libertarian in me)

Right, but that isn't really what the legal battles going on all over the country are about. They are not increasing liberty but restricting it by forcing the acceptance of a view that the majority of people view as perverted and destructive. I also find it ironic that a "libertarian" thinks that adding laws that "prevent discrimination against how someone wants to have sex" is consistent with a libertarian worldview. These laws have done nothing more than force the teachings of schools and hiring practices of businesses into the government-approved worldview.

[superelkman]

There's a few other gay athletes that have come out. I remember a gay Hawaiian NFL player a few years ago. I respect Jason's bravery though.

Scrubbed. Be respectful, please. People should be ostracized for things that are perverted. If Kobe came out and was like... I love having sex with sheep would everyone applaud his bravery or think he was some pervert? Should we create laws all over the country recognizing Kobes right to marry sheep?

And yes I am comparing homosexuality and bestiality because both "don't hurt anyone" as the mantra of the gay community likes to claim yet most sane people would agree that the latter is perverted. It is completely arbitrary for people to accept homosexuality as normal and an equal lifestyle choice but say that polygamy or bestiality or necrophilia are somehow perverted since none of these "hurt anyone" by the homosexual standard.

Everyone subscribes to some objective standard guiding sexual behavior yet when people draw that line at homosexuality they are bigots. Hypocrites.

[Moochthemonkey]

a view that the majority of people view as perverted and destructive.

Do you live in the middle east or Africa? as of 2013, if you were to look at most polls in the US >50% of people support same sex marriage.

And yes I am comparing homosexuality and bestiality because both "don't hurt anyone" as the mantra of the gay community likes to claim yet most sane people would agree that the latter is perverted.

I agree in principle, however there's one major flaw in your comparison: animals don't have the ability to consent.

[spacemonkey]

There's a few other gay athletes that have come out. I remember a gay Hawaiian NFL player a few years ago. I respect Jason's bravery though.

How is it brave to come out and say you like to F dudes in and be F'ed in the anus? People should be ostracized for things that are perverted. If Kobe came out and was like... I love having sex with sheep would everyone applaud his bravery or think he was some pervert? Should we create laws all over the country recognizing Kobes right to marry sheep?

And yes I am comparing homosexuality and bestiality because both "don't hurt anyone" as the mantra of the gay community likes to claim yet most sane people would agree that the latter is perverted. It is completely arbitrary for people to accept homosexuality as normal and an equal lifestyle choice but say that polygamy or bestiality or necrophilia are somehow perverted since none of these "hurt anyone" by the homosexual standard.

Everyone subscribes to some objective standard guiding sexual behavior yet when people draw that line at homosexuality they are bigots. Hypocrites.

Wait, so being homosexual is being perverted.

What about women who like anal sex? Guess that's just like **** animals, too.

[superelkman]

a view that the majority of people view as perverted and destructive.

Do you live in the middle east or Africa? as of 2013, if you were to look at most polls in the US >50% of people support same sex marriage.

And yes I am comparing homosexuality and bestiality because both "don't hurt anyone" as the mantra of the gay community likes to claim yet most sane people would agree that the latter is perverted.

I agree in principle, however there's one major flaw in your comparison: animals don't have the ability to consent.

Just 5 years ago Prop 8 passed in the most liberal state in the union so I'd say that is a pretty good guage that the support is at very very best 50/50. This is in addition to numerous other amendments in support of traditional marriage.

Sure they can show consent. Obviously they can not talk but if you can see the enjoyment they are getting out of it they clearly are consenting to it.

Also, what makes necrophilia wrong then if you are being consistent? If we are all just animated material put together through time, mutation, and selection what does it matter if one has sex with a dead body? It's not hurting anyone.