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The day has finally come. An athlete currently playing in the NBA has come out of the closet and announced he is gay. The Washington Wizards Jason Collins made the announcement in the upcoming issue of Sports Illustrated Magazine.

In an essay written for the magazine, Collins said he decided to come out after the Boston Bombings. Collins stated:

“The recent Boston Marathon bombing reinforced the notion that I shouldn’t wait for the circumstances of my coming out to be perfect. Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?”

The NBA center also said that he used to date women and was even engaged at one point in his life, but he knew deep in his heart that he wasn’t living his truth.

“When I was younger I dated women. I even got engaged. I thought I had to live a certain way. I thought I needed to marry a woman and raise kids with her. I kept telling myself the sky was red, but I always knew it was blue.”

Jason Collins does say that his family is being supportive of his decision to publicly come out. They have known for a while now and his brother wanted to protect him from the onslaught of negativity many expect when a public figure makes such a strong declaration, especially about being gay in the world of sports, which is just as homophobic as hip-hop.

I’m glad for Jason Collins. At least, now he can live his life comfortably because there is nothing more liberating than living an honest life and Jason Collins can finally see what living that honest life feels. How do you think he will be treated in the NBA now that he’s come out as gay? Although plenty of players will come out in support for Jason Collins, do you think their treatment of him in the locker room will change?

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