'My goal is to normalize' - Phoenix Suns basketball operatns executive announc he is gay - ESPN

Contents:

• HERE ARE THE 6 GAY MEN WHO HAVE BEEN OUT PUBLICLY WHILE PETG PRO BASKETBALL
• THE ONLY 3 OUT, GAY NBA PLAYERS IN HISTORY
• JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY ATHLETE TO PLAY NBA, MAK U.S. SPORTS HISTORY
• PHOENIX SUNS' RYAN RCH FIRST OPENLY GAY PERSON NBA TEAM'S BASKETBALL OPERATNS
• THE LIST OF GAY BASKETBALL PLAYERS NTU TO GROW WH ANOTHER G OUT
• A GAY NBA FAN FOUND 78 HOMOPHOBIC TWEETS BY 40 PLAYERS ON 23 TEAMS
• BILL KENNEDY OUT AS SEND ACTIVE OPENLY GAY NBA OFFICIAL
• JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY
• WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS
• SUNS BASKETBALL OPERATNS EXECUTIVE RYAN RCH ANNOUNC HE IS GAY
• THE NBA HAS AN OPENLY GAY PLAYER: WHAT CHANG?
• 'MY GOAL IS TO NORMALIZE': PHOENIX SUNS BASKETBALL OPERATNS EXECUTIVE ANNOUNC HE IS GAY
• DENNIS RODMAN SAYS HE THKS 10-20% OF PRO ATHLET ARE GAY AND THAT THE NBA IS READY FOR AN OUT ATHLETE
• DWIGHT HOWARD SUED BY MAN CLAIMG NBA STAR FORCED HIM TO HAVE GAY THREOME

HERE ARE THE 6 GAY MEN WHO HAVE BEEN OUT PUBLICLY WHILE PETG PRO BASKETBALL

Sce Colls showed the world you uld be a gay man profsnal basketball, there has been a trickle of gay athlet to follow, most recently former NBA player and current Atralian pro basketball player Isaac Humphri. The LGBT movement emerged as early as the 1870s, but homosexual rights groups didn't appear until after World War II September 1945.

His fay reportedly had mixed emotns towards the announcement, but he still changed the game, beg the first Divisn I men's basketball player to e out as gay and play gam. When then-Phoenix Suns print and CEO Rick Welts me out as gay May 2011, former NBA pot guard Steve Nash pledged his support favor of the LGBT muny. Nash said the vio, "A growg number of profsnal athlet are speakg out support of gay and lbian upl gettg married, I'm proud to be one of them.

Asi om his open support for gay rights, he also ns the Steve Nash Foundatn, which helps children who are affected by poverty, illns, abe or neglect, and creat opportuny for tn, play, and empowerment, Phoenix, Arizona, and Brish Columbia, Canada. In his hman year at Villanova, he first me out as gay to his teammate and roommate Mike Villa before nfsg to his parents three months later.

THE ONLY 3 OUT, GAY NBA PLAYERS IN HISTORY

Last year, the NBA moved s 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte, North Carola, due to the state's law that lims anti-discrimatn protectns for lbian, gay and transgenr people.

One ESPN mentator, Chris Brosard, exprsed both his admiratn for Colls’ bravery and his belief that Colls uld not be both gay and christian. Tennis great Marta Navratilova, who had somewhat unbelievably e out 1981, praised Colls and exprsed her hope that this would help end homophobia team sports and lead to more players g out. The difference reactn between Ameachi’s and Colls’ statements is a sign of the growth acceptance of gay people between 2007 and 2013.

JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY ATHLETE TO PLAY NBA, MAK U.S. SPORTS HISTORY

Lebron Jam said “Wh teammat you have to be tstworthy, and if you’re gay and you’re not admtg that you are, then you are not tstworthy”. On Febary 23, 2014, Brooklyn Nets center Jason Colls be the first openly gay athlete to play a game the Uned Stat’ four major profsnal leagu. The 35-year-old journeyman plays 10 srels mut, rerdg two rebounds and five fouls the Nets’ 108-102 victory over the Los Angel May 2013, Colls revealed he is gay a first-person say  Sports Illtrated.

PHOENIX SUNS' RYAN RCH FIRST OPENLY GAY PERSON NBA TEAM'S BASKETBALL OPERATNS

Ryan Rch of the Phoenix Suns is the first openly gay person NBA history to work a team's basketball operatns, ESPN reported article tails how Rch, the Suns' vice print of basketball strategy and evaluatn, me out to General Manager Jam Jon, who is nsired a mentor of his, this past wter and then later to the team staff. "Ultimately my goal is to normalize for people and out the league the existence of gay men and women on the basketball si, " Rch said the article. Wh Derrick Gordon g out today, the UMASS shootg guard adds his name to a growg list of gay male basketball players that have e out the media.

THE LIST OF GAY BASKETBALL PLAYERS NTU TO GROW WH ANOTHER G OUT

A gay man the hight level of profsnal sports is what the LGBT muny was lookg for and on April 29, 2013, Colls me out to Sport Illtrated. What seems to be the most mon thread all the g outs were the feelg of isolatn, fear, and lonels that an athlete feels ught between the hyper-masculy of male sports and the gay world. Tagged: rek schell / rrick gordon / Gay / gay basketball players / gay llege player / gay nba player / jason lls / john amaechi / lgbt / list / list of gay basketball players / nba player gay.

The ments are among 78 tweets om 36 current and active NBA players on teams that are homophobic language, nature or even tent (four other players were on a roster when the list was piled last month, but they are no longer on an NBA team).

The players clu CJ McCollum, the print of the Natnal Basketball Players Assn., who tweeted “no homo, ” as well as superstar Kev Durant, who tweeted “shut up fag boy. “I don’t re how long ago was, shows the person’s character, my opn, ” said Derrick Gordon, who me out publicly as gay while playg basketball at UMass and who now plays profsnally Germany. The Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz each have four players on the list of NBA athlet who created anti-gay tweets, while the Chigo Bulls currently have three players who tweeted homophobic msag.

A GAY NBA FAN FOUND 78 HOMOPHOBIC TWEETS BY 40 PLAYERS ON 23 TEAMS

Not cintally, Jason Colls beme the first active NBA player to e out as gay 2013, raisg signifint awarens of LGBTQ issu — and the prence of gay players — the NBA. “Culture as a whole has changed, ” said Anthony Nimo, a succsful high school basketball ach New York who me out publicly as gay several years ago. Colls — who played as an openly gay player the last uple regular-season months and then playoffs of the 2013-14 season — has been speakg to NBA rooki at the league’s annual symposium sce 2015.

Readg [the tweets] remd me a lot of my journal that I kept, and I stopped after two weeks, bee was jt … you hear , but you don’t really realize how much sual homophobia there was. Speakg om my experience, there is a disnnect sometim between someone who sual homophobia, and then once you show them who you are, they will step up and have your back. One mon slur ed var tweets was “no homo, ” which me to vogue over 10 years ago as a way for a man to pliment another man whout beg taken “the wrong way.

BILL KENNEDY OUT AS SEND ACTIVE OPENLY GAY NBA OFFICIAL

As a ach and tor, Nimo said he still hears “no homo” around teenagers — even beg out as a gay man — though the culture basketball has improved. Pl Reed“Bch be gay today, bi tommorow, and pregnant sunday ha”/2014 “Why is so many niggas drs up like girls and putt on wigs tryna be funny.

Mallm Hill“homo# LOL”/2011Zach LaVe “@perrnTF @juice_wilson49 both y’all r gay”/2014Javonte Green“You gay for subbg”/2016Cleveland Cavaliers. Oshae Brissett“This guy is sooooo gay on my b”/2012“you want all the guys on the street to love you ew your gay”/2012“you sound like a girl.. Youyr so gay lool”/2012“OMFG why gods good name would anyone cut them self for a fag”/2013“Callg your iend a fag on bbm but then you realize that you sent to your mom”/2012“you are a fag”/2013“follow me back fag”/2012“get off my twter you fag/2013@TheRealtEver_ fag”/2012Hoton Rockets.

JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY

Montrezl Harrell“no u fag you are talkg to the worlds ltlt man Jordan smh”/2012“you gay don’t @ me no more for real”/2011“This nigga the barber shop is gay as hell smh”/2012“SpongeBob Tho >> ^__^ ♥♥he gay”/2012“Trezl & India Fsg About Spongebob -__- Lol he’s gay”/2012. Facundo Campazzo“ gay”/2016Jam Ennis III“fag lol”/2012“@ChristianPerez1: Tanic is on:) (no homo)” I love that move”/2011JaMychal Green“dnt play w me koolaid will get put on his head if he try some gay”/2010“lol i got you i nt wave thats gay but ill salute you”/2011“Fna load my iPod up w new mic while I tch up on some #Dexter season 3...

Jared Butler“That gay du msed up”/2014Jordan Clarkson“naw Rick #yotillsglebee u still got homo tennci lol”/2010Rudy Gay “Can someone tell @RasualButler45 to holla at me! Longtime NBA referee Bill Kennedy revealed to Yahoo Sports Sunday night that he is gay, makg him the send openly gay active NBA official after Vlet Palmer's announcement 2014. "I thk any time someone n be out at the top of their profsn 's a w, " out gay high school basketball ach Anthony Nimo told Outsports.

Yahoo Sports reveals that Rondo's one-game spensn was the rult of a tira that clud the Kgs guard's e of homophobic slurs towards Kennedy.

WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS

Adam Silver said 2014 that he felt the league "fell behd" on the issue, even wh Jason Colls' announcement several years ago that he was an active gay NBA player.

SUNS BASKETBALL OPERATNS EXECUTIVE RYAN RCH ANNOUNC HE IS GAY

Jason Colls says he's news servicApr 29, 2013, 11:46 AM ETNBA center Jason Colls on Monday announced that he's gay a story for Sports Illtrated, beg the first active player one of the four major Amerin profsnal team sports to announce that he is gay.

THE NBA HAS AN OPENLY GAY PLAYER: WHAT CHANG?

Last year, durg his re-electn mpaign, Print Barack Obama announced his support for gay after Colls disclosed his sexualy, Obama reached out by phone, exprsg his support and tellg Colls he was imprsed by his urage, the Whe Hoe Print Bill Clton, whose dghter Chelsea attend Stanford wh Colls, also appld Colls' announcement.

'MY GOAL IS TO NORMALIZE': PHOENIX SUNS BASKETBALL OPERATNS EXECUTIVE ANNOUNC HE IS GAY

"Jason's announcement today is an important moment for profsnal sports and the history of the LGBT [lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr] muny, " he said a statement. "Colls said he realized he need to make his sexual orientatn public when his former roommate at Stanford, Massachetts ngrsman Joe Kennedy, who is straight, marched Boston's Gay Pri Para last Boston Marathon bombgs earlier this month then rerced to him "that I shouldn't wa for the circumstanc of my g out to be perfect. 98 wh the Celtics and Wizards -- 1998 was the year that Matthew Shepard, a gay llege stunt Wyomg, was killed, and the Trevor Project, a suici preventn anizatn, was found.

"Sayg 'I'm gay' sets a new standard of honty, openns and teamwork that will posively affect athlet and fans at every level of sports.

DENNIS RODMAN SAYS HE THKS 10-20% OF PRO ATHLET ARE GAY AND THAT THE NBA IS READY FOR AN OUT ATHLETE

Atralian A-League soccer star Josh Cavallo me out as gay an October vio posted to his social media, beg hailed as the first current male top-flight profsnal soccer player to publicly do so. "He ntued: "Growg up I always felt the need to hi myself, you know, bee I was ashamed, and ashamed I'll never be able to do what I love and be gay. In a September terview wh USA Today, 25-year-old mor league baseball player beme the only active baseball profsnal to be out as gay!

The 28-year-old Natnal Football League player and Rairs fensive leman ma history when he me out as gay on Instagram durg Pri Month, beg the first veteran NFL player to e out as gay while signed to a regular-season ntract. The Bachelor star and former football player (who was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted ee agent and was on the practice squad of the Oakland Rairs and the Philalphia Eagl) me out as gay April, sayg he had fally e to terms wh his sexualy and the "next step all of this was sort of lettg people know.

Corey Walsh, the 27-year-old pro BMX rir and Vans spokperson, said he isn't normally the type of person to "let people " on his personal life, but felt was important to e out as gay a March Instagram post bee "there are a lot of people still stgglg wh the same suatns" and he "jt wanted to let people know that they are not alone. Champn long track speedskater Conor McDermott-Mostowy never hid beg gay om his fay, iends, and fellow athlet, but he also wasn't one to rate his locker wh rabow Pri flags eher. When Nashville Predators prospect Le Prokop me out this week, was the first time an active player unr ntract to an NHL team had ever publicly acknowledged they were gay.

DWIGHT HOWARD SUED BY MAN CLAIMG NBA STAR FORCED HIM TO HAVE GAY THREOME

Overnight, Prokop's announcement doubled the number of out gay athlet currently playg the untry's four major men's sports — football, basketball, baseball and hockey. Gay male athlet face cultural barriers Part of the reason for the lack of out gay players men's profsnal sports uld be that there are jt fewer of them the game.

"Gay men are a fe rource, so they n't exist great numbers every quarter, " Magrath told "Gay men are overreprented some areas, and as a nsequence are gog to be unrreprented sports.