Big Deal

I’ve purposely waited several days to comment on the following because I wanted to fully understand the impact and to be sure I articulate my feelings accurately. On Monday in an article he penned for Sports Illustrated, Jason Collins became the first active U.S. athlete to come out as Gay in a major sport, specifically the NBA. I don’t follow the NBA closely enough to know his name but I now know it’s one I’ll never forget. Over the last several days I’ve read countless articles and op-ed pieces and although there were quite a few positive comments including one from President Obama, the negative ones were full of hate and to be honest pretty disgusting. As expected, Christian zealots were swift with their Bible tossing. Chris Broussard a commentator for ESPN declared homosexuality an "open rebellion to God" and stated he does not consider Jason Collins to be a Christian. Ok, so that’s his opinion and it’s expected from the Evangelical crowd, I just wouldn’t have expected to hear it on ESPN…and by the way, thanks for the Christian compassion buddy. Just in case you’re curious the question posed to Chris Broussard was “what does it mean for Jason Collins to play as an openly Gay person in the NBA?” not sure why it lead him to quote scripture. Rush Limbaugh was quick to defend Chris Broussard and boo hooed about the plight of the persecuted straight White male or some such nonsense, I don’t know I lost interest. (Note to self, stop clicking on stories about his fat ass)

Quite a few of the commenters stated they were sick of the Gay Agenda being forced on them and Gay people flaunting their sex lives everywhere. They wondered why Gay people couldn’t “just keep all of that to themselves”. Many stated that they watch sports for the game and don’t want to know all about the players’ sex lives and what goes on in their bedrooms. Okay then, I no longer want to read about any sports figure's engagements, dating habits, break ups, or marriages. I don't want to see them photographed with their supermodel, singer, or actress girlfriends while out having dinner. I don't want to read about what carat of diamond they bought and how the size of the diamond is supposed to make up for the fact that the man cheated. In fact, Jason Collins never detailed his sex life or what goes on in his bedroom. When a person states that they are Gay they are declaring their sexual orientation, if your mind immediately goes to a detailed sex act upon hearing the news, maybe you’re the one with the problem.

What really caught my attention was a theme running throughout the comments stating the announcement wasn’t a big deal and there were more important things going on such as the struggling U.S. economy. Some said big deal, so a mediocre NBA player at the end of his career is Gay or big deal how does some Gay athlete coming out affect my life. Of course the cynics came out in droves with accusations of a nefarious plot being hatched by Collins, who is currently a free agent, to get signed to a new team. So let me get this straight (pardon the pun) Collins comes out as Gay to get signed, yet he has no idea if his teammates will turn on him or refuse to share a locker room with him. He now has to deal with the taunts and hatred and wonder if some unstable individual or group will target him for a violent act and more importantly he now knows that no matter what he does for the rest of his life, this is what his name will be synonymous with. These types of comments can only come from those who have no idea what it is like to have to live a secret life or risk losing a career simply because of who you are. They have no clue of the emotional toll and the difficulty of coming out to not only his friends and family but to the world. And for the record anyone who for one second thinks that there are not more Gay athletes still inside the locker room is a fool.

So here’s the big deal as I see it. Nobody expects the world to stop spinning because of the announcement but if something doesn’t affect you directly it doesn’t lessen its importance and no matter what anyone may say to the contrary, this most certainly is a big deal. It’s a big deal because visibility is important. If some young child looks at Collins and is inspired and realizes that just because they may be Gay doesn’t mean they can’t grow up to be successful in their chosen field of sports, that’s a big deal. It’s a big deal to the isolated and frightened Gay school kids who have absolutely no role models and people telling them they can never be who they are or aspire to who they want to be. It’s a big deal to the kids who will be beaten and kicked out of their houses for being Gay, kids who will never talk to their biological families again kids who are told they are sick, perverted and in need of reparative aid. It’s a big deal to anyone who has the compassion to understand the loneliness of many Gay youth and the horrifying suicide rates among Gay teens. It’s a big deal to Gay people in all professions who face possible backlash from co-workers, employers, and members of the general public simply for being who they are. It’s a big deal because we live in a society where Gay people are still being physically brutalized and even murdered because they are Gay. It’s a big deal because it challenges the notion of the feminine Gay male and the negative stereotypical caricatures of Gay men in women’s high heels with purses as depicted on TV shows such as The Real Housewives of Atlanta. It’s a big deal because it leads us to redefine the terms of masculinity and exposes the world to the image of a strong masculine African-American Gay man. Yep, it’s a big fucking deal.

I look forward to the day when the declaration of one’s sexual identity is not a big deal but today is not that day. On Monday Jason Collins had the dignity, courage and conviction to break the barrier and come out of the locker room as the first openly Gay active professional male athlete and I applaud him for his inspirational bravery. I’d like to leave you with an excerpt from Jason Collins’ Sports Illustrated article, "It takes an enormous amount of energy to guard such a big secret. I've endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie." “I kept telling myself the sky was red when I knew it was blue, I want to be genuine and authentic and truthful. I want to take a stand and say me too.”