This week, Wizards center, Jason Collins became the first
pro athlete to openly declare himself a gay man. Collins sat down with ABC’s
George Stephanopoulos, for a two-part interview that aired on Good Morning America
just twelve hours after the big announcement.
Collins described his struggle to come out as “knowing that
the sky is blue but you keep telling yourself it’s red.”
He compared the battle of accepting his sexuality to a
12-step program, saying he went through “anger and denial” before reaching a
point of self acceptance.
Although it may have been a very difficult decision for him
to make, Collins says the support he’s gotten has been “incredible.”
The 7-foot baller even poked a little fun at himself during
the interview, saying “I’m good at playing it straight.”
As for his teammates, Collins said he “expects support from
them” and that’s exactly what he’s gotten.
In a telephone interview Wizard’s center Emeka Okafor said “If you are good person and a good teammate
– you have those boxes crossed off – I’m cool. All the other stuff is just
whatever.
Collins said he didn't know of any other gay NBA players, but maybe his brave decision will inspire one who's privately battling with their identity just like he was.
No comments:
Post a Comment