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Jason Collins Comes Out and Recieves Overwhelmingly Positive Response on Social Media

Jason Collins

I can’t imagine how Jason Collins felt for all these years, keeping his sexuality a closely guarded secret.  As a straight white male from an affluent community, on an almost daily basis, I take for granted the amount of freedom I have to be myself in total comfort and complete safety.  It is clear the social landscape is changing for the better and I hope Collins is just the first of many professional athletes who feel safe and free enough to be who they are.

I grew up in Palo Alto, CA right across the street from Stanford University where Collins went to school.  I was huge fan of him and his twin brother, Jarron, who starred for the Cardinal before making the leap to the NBA.  I’ve loosely followed their careers over the last decade, less and less so in recent years.  My first reaction to Collins’ Sports Illustrated article was one of pride and happiness for the man I grew up cheering for.  After taking the time to digest the information I began to feel sad above anything else.

Jarron and Jason Collins (right) starred at Stanford before each entering the NBA in 2001.

People are lauding Collins for his bravery and, to a point, they are correct.  Even though the social landscape is changing, becoming friendlier to the LGBT community, there is still a significant amount of bravery and strength required to come out. That requirement, in itself, is sad.  In a perfect world, Collins’ announcement is not news.  It wouldn’t even be a blip on our radar.  “Out” men and women would be common enough that people like Collins don’t need to be called brave…just normal.

Collins penned the Sports Illustrated piece himself and the support he’s received on twitter from fellow NBA players, other athletes, and celebrities, has been overwhelming.  Check out the great interview Collins had with TNT’s “Inside the NBA” Tuesday night as well as some of the great tweets below:



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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