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Health & Fitness

Jason Collins: The Courage to Live in Truth

One Iowa Executive Director Donna Red Wing discusses Jason Collins, coming out, and the courage to live in truth.

Jason Collins, most recently an NBA center with the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards, just came out as a gay man and became the first active male professional athlete to do so.

The fallout? He received a phone call from President Obama, support from other athletes including Kobe Bryant, and there is a swirl of chatter about the corporate endorsements that may come his way, marketing to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) constituency.

Certainly there have been other world-class gay athletes: Olympic diver Greg Louganis; boxer Orlando Cruz; former NFL player Esera Tuaolo; and former NBA center John Amaechi. Collins, however, while a free agent, is still an active player. He courageously put everything on the line.

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Collins explained why he chose this time to come out in the May 6 issue of Sports Illustrated: "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?"

It will be interesting to watch Collins to see where he goes from here. As a free agent, what team will pick him up? Will Nike be the first to sign him onto their endorsement team? How many gay pride events, outside of Boston Pride which he has already committed to, will reach out to Collins? And, how many other professional athletes will be emboldened by his courage?

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World-class athletes, whether they want to or not, influence others. I am so pleased for Collins that he will never again live in the suffocation of the “closet,” and I believe he will influence so many other lives. Young people look up to people like Collins. Think what kind of a role model young LGBT athletes now have in Jason Collins, and the powerful message Collins’ courage sends about pride and equality.

Last week the nationally respected Iowa conservative David Kochel stated in a powerful editorial why he supports marriage for gay and lesbian couples. This month Iowa celebrated four years of equality in the Heartland with the anniversary of the Varnum v. Brien decision that allowed gay and lesbian couples to marry in our state. What will next week have in store for us? Next month? Whether in Iowa or in Rhode Island, or even in the world of sports, things are changing. And they are changing faster than any of us expected. Jason Collins is evidence of this fact.

I believe much of this change springs from the courage of others who, when they speak out, put a face, a voice and a story to the LGBT movement. After all, this has always been about people, not politics.

It’s about people like Jason Collins, who had the courage to say, “I’m gay.” It’s about people like David Kochel, who had the courage to say, “I support you.” It’s about people like Kate and Trish Varnum, who had the courage to say, “We want to get married, and we want to get married in Iowa.”

And so, as we celebrate Jason Collins, let’s also celebrate every LGBT person who came before him and the allies who support us all—every person who took that journey and found the courage to live in truth.

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