Jason Colls, first openly gay athlete to play NBA, mak U.S. sports history

Contents:

• THE NBA HAS AN OPENLY GAY PLAYER: WHAT CHANG?
• THREAD: NBA HOTON ROCKETS PLAYER JALEN GREEN PATS HIS NAILS( 1ST GAY NBA PLAYER)?
• JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY ATHLETE TO PLAY NBA, MAK U.S. SPORTS HISTORY
• JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY
• JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN IS FIRST MALE NFL ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
• JAGS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE NFL COACH TO PUBLICLY COME OUT AS GAY
• JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER, REFLECTS ON LEGACY, LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL

THE NBA HAS AN OPENLY GAY PLAYER: WHAT CHANG?

I'm black, and I'm gay. And, you know, for - I thk a lot of young people out there who, you know, are, you know, gay or lbian who are stgglg wh the issu; to see a role mol like that who's unaaid, I thk 's a great So athlet, ach, we want to hear om you.

Today, almost all topics are evolvg around the g out of the gay NBA player.

THREAD: NBA HOTON ROCKETS PLAYER JALEN GREEN PATS HIS NAILS( 1ST GAY NBA PLAYER)?

In 2011, Charl Barkley, a man known for his mon sense but never for his tact, said plaly, he was sure that every player has played wh gay guys; and went on: It bothers me when I hear the reporters and jocks get on TV and say oh, no guy n e out as a team sport. I'd rather have a gay guy who n play than a straight guy who n't 's get a ller .

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

And I've had been on a llegiate swim team wh gay men, several gay men.

We bond outsi of the sport, and I jt - I was close to the people, but them beg gay no way changed the sport or my opn of them. And I thk if perceptn of the few change, then that reflects more on the public perceptn of somebody beg gay than Jason Colls. And though I n't actually say that - bee this is back high school, and I don't know if any of my teammat were gay.

JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY

But even if they had been - and I hope this is a feelg that is g up the younger generatn - that beg gay or straight really don't matter to who you are as a person. If he's a good player, I want to play wh him, and I want to learn om him - gay or As you probably know better than I, though, for example the European soccer leagu, there's a lot of homophobia. There are homophobic chants that are popular among some of the crowds I don't unrstand that at all.

There was Chris Brosard, the NBA analyst on ESPN, on an edn of "Outsi the L, " where he scribed homosexualy as an open rebelln to God.

Brosard said that durg a segment, also clud gay ESPN lumnist Liz - LZ Granrson rather. And if you're livg openly unrepentant s, whatever may be, not jt homosexualy, adultery, fornitn, pre-maral sex between homosexuals, whatever may be, I believe that's walkg open rebelln to God and to J Christ. And I'm really glad to e this as a teachg opportuny to be like, look, you n be gay and do anythg you want.

JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN IS FIRST MALE NFL ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

So much of the stereotyp that they see of gay men are, you know, the effemate stereotype. There's no doubt my md that beg gay, jt stgglg wh my sexualy and beg teased for by the other boys, kept me off the basketball urt. Like many LGBT youth, I opted for dividual sports - track and field and cross-untry to Colls, the young on pee-wee football today won't know a world whout an openly gay, male, pro athlete.

The young gay men playg llege baseball today got a shot the arm. I like this show a Thank I jt wanted to say that if anythg, all the major sports should be happy about this bee 's openg up a whole new TV mographic for them, and if anythg, 's gog to raise the ratgs bee now the gays and bisexuals and lbians have someone to root for.

So why be so homophobic about ? To start, Colls mak the classic manver of exemptg himself om the dread label, gay label - I'm never sure what that means - and then spends most multiple paragraphs tellg how butch and eager to foul he is.

JAGS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE NFL COACH TO PUBLICLY COME OUT AS GAY

I go agast the gay stereotype, which is why I thk a lot of players will be shocked that guy is gay. Oh, y, the good old gay stereotype, you know, sissi and femme swishy typ that make the sporty on look lucky for , Colls mak clear that he will be as tough and mascule and profsnal as he has always been bee he's not gog to sudnly bee that kd of gay. But I jt n't get wh when his self-reventn is predited on the nigratn of a whole swath of the muny he now hop to pri march 're talkg about the history ma yterday by Jason Colls, who me out as gay.

At one pot, they would say gay people shoot like skeet, all sorts of thgs. However, I do live Texas, which - as most people know - is a very Christian, homophobic state.

JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER, REFLECTS ON LEGACY, LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL

I'm skippg to about halfway through his piece - I know that some nversatn the days to e, perhaps not public discsn but certa private gmblg, will clud qutns about why Colls has to rock the boat, why the news media is payg such lavish heed to him, and why gays and lbians general make such a fs of thgs. I know this om my box, where some rears routely tell me they'd be ls bothered by homosexuals if we would jt please shut up about . I'm a gay man San Francis, and I was an athlete.

I mean, beg gay is only ccial to someone else that you are a relatnship wh, or havg a sexual relatnship. Otherwise, beg gay means nothg to anyone else - none of anyone's bs, So 's a private matter and should be kept I mean, should be as private as is wh straight people. And is te that a lot of gay people need to chill out a ltle b and not make such an issue about thgs, and maybe the rt of the world will go along wh a ltle All right.