Phew! That’s better … © Sports Illustrated .
(Blogmensgo, 14th May 2013) Jason Collins, professional basketball player in the NBA (U.S. Championship) came out of the closet during a lengthy testimony published online April 29, 2013 by Sports Illustrated and the paper version dated May 6 photo in focus.
Jason Collins: coming out | album (© Sports Illustrated)
“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay. “ (I’m 34, I’m pivot NBA. I’m black. And I’m gay.)
Thus begins the long confession Jason Collins (co-signed by Franz Lidz). The pivot of the Celtics is aware of being the first high-level athlete in one of the four major sports in the United States (basketball, baseball, American football and ice hockey, football or soccerare is not considered a major sport) to his coming out, but he would rather not be.
Atypical gay sports
Jason Collins is a giant: 2.13 m and 116 kg according to Wikipedia (intimate measurements unspecified). It evolves into NBA championship for twelve years. He signed for the 2012-2013 season with the Boston Celtics, who prepared since February 2013 the Washington Wizards.
Collins does not correspond at all to the Epinal image of gay sports: dance through it on the court, where his fierceness in battle earned him a solid reputation nag and ringworm.
For two years he was thinking out of the closet. If he waited so long is that it will be “completely free” (from any commitment) in July 2013. “I can [now] do more or less what I want,” he says, adding that he wants to stay professional basketball.
The trigger for the release of closet has perhaps been the double case of gay marriage, which is before the U.S. Supreme Court in March 2013. “Less then three miles from my apartment, nine jurists argued about my happiness and my future. “(Less than 5 km from my apartment, nine judges were discussing my happiness and my future.)
One of his immediate plans are to march June 8, 2013 at the Gay Pride in Boston, where he has accepted the invitation . Collins will walk beside the MP Joe Kennedy ( who greets his coming out ), which was his roommate when the two were attending Stanford. “I want to work for tolerance, acceptance and understanding,” says Jason.
What is tata Teri laughed!
This is her aunt Teri he first revealed his homosexuality. “But it’s been years since I know you’re gay! “She answered him. Jason has revealed that the summer of 2012 his homosexuality to his twin brother Jarron, whose long arm of NBA basketball him fell.
For years, Jason Collins felt obliged to do like everyone else, so he knew he was gay for a long time. He went out with girls and was even engaged. But he was not married and had no children while dreaming of having.
98, almost boiling
Jason Collins has hidden his fondness for guys for decades. But without denying the community. As proof, his famous jersey No. 98 refers to a 1998 that has seen the homophobic murder of Matthew Shepard and the creation of The Trevor Project , an organization to aid in the prevention of suicide among LGBT youth.
A boyfriend? Jason Collins does not mention in his testimony, but it seems to be currently single. The same day of his coming out, 100% of orders received by the jerseys Club Washington Wizards dealt No. 98. It is not known if the orders came from fans of the player or single gay lovers.
Congratulations!
Numerous personalities welcomed Jason Collins and his courage. Starting with his brother Jarron, President Barack Obama (and his wife Michelle) and former President Bill Clinton (and her daughter Chelsea). A sports countless active or retired have also welcomed Jason, especially basketball John Wall and Garrett Temple (his current teammates), Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Tony Parker (and his ex-wife Eva Longoria.) And also many personalities tennis (Martina Navratilova who made his coming out in 1981, Billie Jean King, Andy Roddick) and entertainment (Ellen DeGeneres, Larry King, Spike Lee, Michael Moore), to mention only a few known on this side of the Atlantic names.
Please note that the club officially supports Washington Wizards Jason Collins and congratulated him on his coming out. Same with his sponsor Nike, for whom gay clientele represents a huge potential market never explored in an explicit manner.
Comment. This just made Jason Collins deserves respect and we can only hope to see other gay athletes follow his example.
However, strength is that none leading gay sports has never been his coming out at the height of his career. Collins out of the closet when he was and never will be veteran of international basketball. The footballer Justin Fashanu did at the end of his career, while the young Swedish footballer Anton Hysén has never been in senior international team and rugby player Gareth Thomas ( cf. article in our December 21, 2009 ) is out of the closet a few months before his retirement.
But again, what did Jason Collins excites me. I wish gay coaches do the same. And most importantly, that the athletes as they do for the national team is still evolving. For it is they who are best able by their charisma and aura of changing attitudes in the right direction.
This article has been translated from our French blog, to view the original, click here.
Philca & Matt / MensGo (via all the press on 29 April and 30 April 2013, including Le Monde and NouvelObs.com )
