The Jason Collins Story
A Major League basketball player for the Boston Celtics has publicly come out as a gay man in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated; after calling off his wedding to his girlfriend. Though many people have welcomed the move of the trailblazer, who is the first active pro athlete to publicly come out among the top four sports leagues, there are many who have slammed his decision. It was always an outside bet that he was going to reveal his sexual preference, and now he has the mixed reactions are widespread.
President Barrack Obama has welcomed the move, calling it “Just one more step in this ongoing recognition that we treat everybody fairly… and we judge people on the basis of their character and their performance, not their sexual orientation.”
It is a well known fact that the President is an avid basketball fan. So it is no surprise that the he has come out in support of Collins. The First Lady also tweeted her support for the basketball player.
Some others, like the ESPN reporter who covers NBA, Chris Broussard called it a “walking in open rebellion to God, and to Jesus Christ.” Broussard called himself a ‘Christian’, and called homosexuality a ‘sin’. This prompted the network to come out in support of the basketball player, claiming that ‘ESPN is fully committed to diversity and welcomes Jason Collins’ announcement’. The sports network also went on to ‘regret’ the ‘distractions’ which result when on-air-talents express and discuss their personal view points.
Jason Collins’ news has received warm support from most fans, proving that slowly but surely we are moving towards an inclusive society where everyone enjoys equal rights, and not just on paper, but in practice as well.
