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

Contents:

• GAY NBA TEAM PRINT RICK WELTS JT MARRIED HIS LONGTIME BOYIEND
• PHOENIX SUNS' RYAN RCH FIRST OPENLY GAY PERSON NBA TEAM'S BASKETBALL OPERATNS
• HERE ARE THE 6 GAY MEN WHO HAVE BEEN OUT PUBLICLY WHILE PETG PRO BASKETBALL
• OPENLY GAY NBA EXECUTIVE RICK WELTS WED HIS LONGTIME PARTNER TODD GAGE
• NORTH AMERI’S FOUR BIGGT PRO SPORTS LEAGU HAVE BEEN AROUND A BED 398 YEARS. THEY’VE HAD TWO OPENLY GAY ACTIVE PLAYERS
• 'MY GOAL IS TO NORMALIZE': PHOENIX SUNS BASKETBALL OPERATNS EXECUTIVE ANNOUNC HE IS GAY
• JASON COLLS WEIGHS ON CARL NASSIB’S CISN TO ANNOUNCE HE IS GAY
• THE ONLY 3 OUT, GAY NBA PLAYERS IN HISTORY
• RUDY GAY: GRIZ DIDN'T GIVE ME CHANCE
• THE NBA HAS AN OPENLY GAY PLAYER: WHAT CHANG?
• RUMOR: LAKERS, WARRRS AMONG POTENTIAL RUDY GAY SUORS EE AGENCY

GAY NBA TEAM PRINT RICK WELTS JT MARRIED HIS LONGTIME BOYIEND

An openly gay print of an NBA team stands ntrast to what has been the norm men's major league sports the U. 11, 2020, 11:27 PM UTCThe print of the Goln State Warrrs has wed his longtime Welts and Todd Gage were married by San Francis Mayor London Breed her office on Friday, Welts announced on and Gage have been together ne years, Welts said his, who me out as gay 2011, has been an stmental part of the Warrrs' succs over the last ne years, helpg the team appear five straight NBA Fals, w three openly gay print of an NBA team stands ntrast to what has been the norm men's major league sports the U. In 2018, Coll Mart, a soccer player for Mnota Uned announced on Twter that he was gay, which ma him the only openly gay male player North Amerin sports leagu.

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

Women’s natnal soccer team pta Megan Rapoe and WNBA star Sue Bird wh Goln State Warrrs' Shaw via Getty ImagSce then, Welts has led the Warrrs to three champnship ws and five NBA fals number of openly LGBTQ sports officials clus Erik Braverman, who me out as gay 2015 and serv as the senr vice print of marketg, munitns and broadstg for the Los Angel Dodgers. 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.

In an article wrten by the New York Tim, Welts said he had a goal to mentor other gay people lookg to pursue a reer sports. Quickly she learned that, by then, the NBA and WNBA had veloped a mutual culture of cln for gay and lbian people.

So when two gay men — Drew Tagliabue wh PFLAG and Ken Mehlman wh GLSEN — approached her about embracg the LGBTQ muny, Behrens was all ears. It was an ia prented by GLSEN — a PSA about stampg out the pejorative term “that’s so gay” — that piqued her tert. So 2011 the NBA fund and shot a PSA wh Grant Hill and Jared Dudley talkg about the need to elimate “sually homophobic” language om sports and society.

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

Rick Welts and Jason Colls, two gay trailblazers the NBA, are both honore on the 2023 Outsports Power 100.

As Welts built a Hall of Fame reer the NBA ont office, as well as wh the Suns and Goln State Warrrs, his secret — he was gay wh a boyiend — stuck wh him. Those NBA teams brought attus about gays and lbians that were at tim fearful their prence the WNBA might sre away non-LGBTQ fans.

Shortly after, Lippard and Welts — who had heard about each other whispers about gay men the league — fed a iendship, and Welts beme an important mentor for Lippard. “Adam and I uld have wonrful nversatns about the work environments we were , and beg gay this kd of dtry and what we uld acplish beg out and the abily to share that.

OPENLY GAY NBA EXECUTIVE RICK WELTS WED HIS LONGTIME PARTNER TODD GAGE

Certaly lns of people know of Colls, the first active out gay athlete any of the Big Four Leagu. What’s the impact of havg someone like Jemison — the rare gay Black woman wh a seat at the table a ont office Amerin sports, who has also worked all of the Big Four men’s pro sports — beg so out and proud? Y, those early days of the WNBA were a b rougher wh nversatns wh the league about how to addrs the gay and lbian prence the league.

When John Amaechi me out publicly 2007, he was ahead of his time, sharg that he’s gay and a former profsnal basketball player.

NORTH AMERI’S FOUR BIGGT PRO SPORTS LEAGU HAVE BEEN AROUND A BED 398 YEARS. THEY’VE HAD TWO OPENLY GAY ACTIVE PLAYERS

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. It was ne years ago, when he was print and chief executive of the Phoenix Suns, that Welts me out as the first openly gay NBA executive.

Welts explaed that he wants to pierce the silence that envelops the subject of homosexualy men’s team sports. He wants to be a mentor to gay people who harbor doubts about a sports reer, whether on the urt or the ont office. Welts, who stands now as a te rary, a man promently employed profsnal men’s team sports, willg to clare his homosexualy.

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

The LGBT movement emerged as early as the 1870s, but homosexual rights groups didn't appear until after World War II September 1945. To add onto the topic of the Warrrs, print Rick Welts me out as gay an terview wh the New York Tim 2011. Homophobia is somethg that shouldn't have a place sports bee LGBT folks n be fans, media members, employe and executiv too.

JASON COLLS WEIGHS ON CARL NASSIB’S CISN TO ANNOUNCE HE IS GAY

" We, as a untry, need to une and not jt bee of the tragic gay nightclub shootg Orlando, Florida, that occurred last summer.

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.

He also received praise om Colls and former NFL fensive end Michael Sam, who beme the first openly gay football player. Denver Nuggets power forward Kenh Faried has been a gay rights supporter for a long time. In 2011, mors surfaced, claimg that Selby was gay after an alleged email to another man was leaked.

THE ONLY 3 OUT, GAY NBA PLAYERS IN HISTORY

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.

98 to honor the murr of the late Universy of Wyomg stunt Matthew Shepard, who was gay. He told Good Day LA, "I thk gay marriage, same-sex marriage is them go through what we go through.

RUDY GAY: GRIZ DIDN'T GIVE ME CHANCE

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. Amaechi was the first former NBAer to publicly e out as gay after retirg om the league. There's hardly any Hispanic players, no Asian-Amerins, so that there's no openly gay players is no real surprise.

THE NBA HAS AN OPENLY GAY PLAYER: WHAT CHANG?

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. The Las Vegas Rairs fensive end is now jt one of two openly gay active players the history of the four biggt North Amerin sports leagu (the Natnal Football League, Natnal Basketball Associatn, Major League Baseball and the Natnal Hockey League).

RUMOR: LAKERS, WARRRS AMONG POTENTIAL RUDY GAY SUORS EE AGENCY

Homophobic language is still a regular feature of playg on a boys’ sports team the US and abroad, Denison’s rearch shows – one of his studi found that more than half of the ice hockey and gby players he terviewed said they’d ed slurs. Regular exposure to slurs or stereotyp eventually rerc among players that their succs as an athlete is tied to an ia of masculy that exclus gay men, he said. Denison scribed what he lls a “cycle of excln” that begs when a boy hears ach or olr players e homophobic language and observ a “posive rponse” to that behavr – maybe they lgh at each other, or the ach don’t challenge them, he said.