Jason Collins – 1978, Former professional basketball player, Cisgender
Given the sense of masculinity that permeates professional sports and its overzealous fan base, many LGBTQ+ athletes keep their personal orientation a secret. Not former NBA player Jason Collins though. In a 2013 “Sports Illustrated” article written by Collins, he announced his retirement. He also revealed he was gay and wanted to see more of his fellow athletes come out without facing repercussions.
Collins had been in a relationship with Brunson Green since 2014. It’s been years since he blazed the trail with his announcement, but no NBA player has come out. Either due to the absence of gay NBA players or from the fear of backlash, we’ll never really know.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login