Jason Colls me out 10 years ago, creasg gay sports visibily - Outsports

Contents:

• SEEKG ALLI: FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER LLS ON LEAGUE STARS TO JO THE E
• 5 GAY ATHLET WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD
• HERE ARE THE 6 GAY MEN WHO HAVE BEEN OUT PUBLICLY WHILE PETG PRO BASKETBALL
• JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY
• FIVE YEARS AFTER JASON COLLS ME OUT AS GAY, LTLE PROGRS PRO TEAM SPORTS
• THE ONLY 3 OUT, GAY NBA PLAYERS IN HISTORY
• FORMER NBA, KENTUCKY PLAYER ISAAC HUMPHRI OUT AS ONLY ACTIVE GAY PLAYER TOP-TIER MEN'S BASKETBALL
• JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY ATHLETE TO PLAY NBA, MAK U.S. SPORTS HISTORY
• WHO IS ISAAC HUMPHRI, THE NBA PLAYER WHO HAS E OUT AS GAY?
• JASON COLLS ME OUT 10 YEARS AGO, HERG A PERD OF CREASG GAY VISIBILY MEN’S SPORTS
• NBA VETERAN JASON COLLS OUT AS GAY
• WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS
• TOP 3 NBA PLAYERS WHO ARE GAY FEAT. JASON COLLS AND MORE
• RUDY GAY
• NORTH AMERI’S FOUR BIGGT PRO SPORTS LEAGU HAVE BEEN AROUND A BED 398 YEARS. THEY’VE HAD TWO OPENLY GAY ACTIVE PLAYERS

SEEKG ALLI: FIRST OPENLY GAY NBA PLAYER LLS ON LEAGUE STARS TO JO THE E

PHOENIX – The first openly-gay active NBA player lled on current players to show their support and be alli to the LGBT muny. “I thk our players are vol and outspoken, and when your players want to lead, then they have to lead, ” said Kozar, who is openly gay and an advote for LGBT rights. The WNBA don’t have the same number of viewers as the NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB, but did have an openly gay player Sheryl Swoop before any of the men’s sports league.

This past September, was seven years sce I wrote, this magaze, “The Last Closet, ” a feature about the total sany that, September 2011, there were no openly gay players the four major North Amerin men’s profsnal sports leagu. Sports seemed like the last bastn of this sort of homophobia left Amerin life, but did seem like that taboo was … looseng, at least, wh sports culture. A year after that, the Rams drafted openly gay fensive end Michael Sam the seventh round of the NFL draft, and he kissed his boyiend celebratn live on ESPN’s airwav; his jersey quickly beme the send-bt-sellg the NFL.

5 GAY ATHLET WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD

There were more openly gay speakers at Tmp’s Republin Natnal Conventn than there are openly gay players men’s sports today. After all, wasn’t long ago that LeBron Jam — who now is wily nsired a strong LGBT advote — was sayg that if you were gay and not tellg your teammat about , you were beg “untstworthy.

” He, like many players, has changed his tune sce then — Jam, forever a bsman, certaly saw the public relatns value evolvg as well — but ’s still rather mon to hear anti-gay sentiment om players; Amar’e Stoumire had to apologize for remarks he ma jt last year.

But to learn that the league’s most hard-re fans appear to be as ristant to an openly gay player as some of his hypothetil teammat would be … well, we may have even further to travel than any of realized. Derrick Gordon, the first openly gay player Divisn 1 llege basketball acced the NBA of not givg him a fair shot to try out bee of his sexualy. They are showg young, gay athlet that they n be hont and open about who they are and also succeed the sport of their choice.

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

Jason Colls NBA player Jason Colls was drafted by the Hoton Rockets 2001 and played twelve seasons before g out as gay a Sports Illtrated ver story.

He said that he chose to wear the jersey number “98” honour of Matthew Shepard who was killed an antigay hate crime 1998. When Colls played his last season the NBA wh the Brooklyn Nets he bee the first publicly gay athlete to play any of the four major North Amerin pro team sports leagu.

JASON COLLS SAYS HE'S GAY

Many people believe pro sports to be one of the last areas where homophobia was still proment but Colls g out was a step the right directn for acceptance of gay pro athlet everywhere. Later that year, Rogers me out of retirement and signed wh the Los Angel Galaxy and 2014 he beme the first openly gay male to w a major team pro sports tle the U.

In 2012, he beme the first profsnally active boxer to e out as gay sayg, ”I want to try to be the bt role mol I n be for kids who might look to boxg as a sport and a profsnal reer.

” Unfortunately Sam didn’t end up makg through the preason and stead signed wh the Montreal Alouett before the 2015 season beg the first publicly gay player the CFL.

FIVE YEARS AFTER JASON COLLS ME OUT AS GAY, LTLE PROGRS PRO TEAM SPORTS

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

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.

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. 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. "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.

THE ONLY 3 OUT, GAY NBA PLAYERS IN HISTORY

"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.

FORMER NBA, KENTUCKY PLAYER ISAAC HUMPHRI OUT AS ONLY ACTIVE GAY PLAYER TOP-TIER MEN'S BASKETBALL

"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. Five years ago, Jason Colls me out as an openly gay NBA player and appeared as if the sports world — pecially pro male sports leagu — was about to unrgo a seismic change regards to LGBT athlet.

In 2014, he also beme the first openly gay NBA player to see actn a regular season game, which is que an acplishment. There are several out WNBA players and women have long been the trailblazers sports, but for historic and soclogil reasons we have long wrten about, gay female athlet don’t get the attentn they serve.

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

I would have sffed had someone told me November 1999 when Outsports first published that more than 18 years later we would have had only three openly active gay male athlet om the five major U.

WHO IS ISAAC HUMPHRI, THE NBA PLAYER WHO HAS E OUT AS GAY?

Sce Kopay me out 43 years ago there have been only 10 other NFL players who have clared they are gay; all except Sam had retired when they me out.

I’m nvced that if an openly gay player me out any of our major sports, he would get 100% support om the league office.

Headg to the 2018 season, for example, there will be two openly gay llege football players the FBS divisn — Kansas State’s Stt Frantz and Arizona’s My-Kg Johnson, both of whom will be eligible for the draft two to three years. The past Wter Olympics had the first openly gay male petors and all the attentn given to G Kenworthy and Adam Rippon showed that society is beg much more acceptg of ele athlet beg gay. Jason CollsCareerComg OutJon AmaechiCareer Comg Out Isaac HumphriCareerComg OutAre There Closeted Gay NBA Players?

JASON COLLS ME OUT 10 YEARS AGO, HERG A PERD OF CREASG GAY VISIBILY MEN’S SPORTS

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.

NBA VETERAN JASON COLLS OUT AS GAY

The difference reactn between Ameachi’s and Colls’ statements is a sign of the growth acceptance of gay people between 2007 and 2013.

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”. He actually went to unselg and beme the 1st person to sign his name to a 2013 petn to legalize gay marriage Florida.

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

While the percentage of people who are gay vari wh different measur, there is no reputable measure sayg the number is zero. Jason Colls me out 2013 and went on to play the next season beg the first and only openly gay active player NBA history. Insir is highlightg out and proud athlet honor of the annual celebratn of those who intify as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and morn-day stars like USWNT pta Megan Rapoe and WNBA legend, Diana Trasi, are NBA player Jason Pl Colls, former NFL nng back David Kopay, and tennis in Billie Jean Kg were trailblazers their rpective sports.

Longtime NFL offensive leman Ryan O'Callaghan me out as gay publicly 2017 via a story for Outsports and revealed that he had long planned to kill himself once his football reer was over. She's sce bee a vol gay rights advote and one of the most fluential voic at the tersectn of sports and social movements. Louis Rams 2014, makg him the first out gay man drafted to the NFL, although he never played a regular-season NFL game.

TOP 3 NBA PLAYERS WHO ARE GAY FEAT. JASON COLLS AND MORE

Jason Pl Colls spent 13 seasons the NBA and, after g out 2013, beme the first out gay athlete actively playg any of the four major North Amerin pro sports leagu. Olympic skater Adam Rippon ma history as the first out gay man to jo Team USA for a wter Olympics and, Pyeongchang, he beme the first to w a medal at the Gam.

Former NFL nng back David Kopay me out as gay 1975, beg one of the first profsnal athlet to publicly e out of the closet.

Former New York Giants and Washgton Redsks guard Roy Simmons me out as gay 1992, well after his NFL reer had e to a close.

RUDY GAY

He publicly me out as gay 1994 and is a vol gay rights and HIV awarens advote, havg later e out as HIV+ as well.

Melbourne Uned basketball player Isaac Humphri is the only active openly gay player a top-tier men's basketball league. He publicly shared he is gay a vio published Wednday morng Atralian time, and he jos former NBA player Jason Colls -- who announced his sexualy 2013 -- as the only players a top-tier basketball league to announce they are gay the midst of their playg reer.

And the ma reason behd me beg so low and beg that pot is bee I was very much stgglg wh my sexualy and g to terms wh the fact that I'm gay. Colls announced he is gay April 2013, shortly after the NBA season end, and he beme the first openly gay player to appear a top-tier basketball league Febary 2014 as a member of the Nets. 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.

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

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.

Atralian basketball player Isaac Humphri who plays for the Melbourne Uned of the Natnal Basketball League cid to make a bold move and publicly e out as a homosexual. His claratn was highly praised by the team director for his urage, for sharg his experience, and for beg the first openly clared gay man the Atralian NBL HumphriBorn the Sydney suburb of Cargbah, Humphri grew up Cronulla and started playg basketball at 12.

Sce Jim Buzski and I started Outsports 1999, we’d talked about an active gay player the Big Four — MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL — g out publicly. Colls has seen the effects of beg out the sport firsthand, talkg repeatedly about one of his former teammat who ed anti-gay slurs the locker room eventually beg a supporter. In 10 years, Colls remas the only active NBA player to e out publicly (Bill Kennedy is an active gay NBA referee who is out; player John Amaechi me out after retirg).