Out and Proud


Two weeks ago, I've posted on Instagram of what I captioned "Understanding Men: The truth is simpler than you think." Some, mostly gay and alpha hags, may agree and some (definitely most straight men) don't.


But the thing is people can choose to be who they want to be. They can choose to stay in the closet and hide for as long as they could, or come out, face their greatest fear of possible rejection and be proud. Coming out isn't easy and we all know we can be judgemental sometimes. Let's admit it, the coming out of some Hollywood personalities that may have, for a moment, caught us off guard.

Like Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon outed on the New York Daily News and The New York Post in 2004, and announced engagement to Christine Marinoni in 2009.


The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons revealed that he is gay in an interview with The New York Times.


Star Trek star Zachary Quinto came out as gay in a profile in New York magazine.


And following Zachary Quinto is ABC News achor Dan Kloeffer while on air reporting Quinto's story.


On The Line actor and 'N Sync member Lance Bass who came out on People Magazine in 2006.


Grey's Anatomy star T.R. Knight came out of the closet in People magazine after allegedly overhearing his co-star Isaiah Washington make a homosexual slur on set in October 2007.


How I Met Your Mother actor Neil Patrick Harris came out in 2006.


And just recently, the 12-year veteran NBA star who has played with the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics, Jason Collins has become the first male U.S. athlete in a major professional sport to come out as gay.


The 34-year-old NBA player tells Sports Illustrated:
"I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, 'I'm different.' If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand."

In his interview, Collins mentioned, "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... I've endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie. I was certain that my world would fall apart if anyone knew," he continues. "And yet when I acknowledged my sexuality I felt whole for the first time. I still had the same sense of humor, I still had the same mannerisms and my friends still had my back."

The issue of same-sex marriage and equality has always been a matter of heated debate for years now. And it even made a huge issue in professional sports in recent months when San Francisco 49ers player Chris Culliver told Artie Lange that he would not welcome gay players in the NFL or on his team.

But that didn't stop Collins from coming out and got a huge support online.


Former president Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton both tweeted their support. Collins and Chelsea Clinton attended Stanford University together.


NBA commissioner David Stern also released a statement of support, saying:
As Adam Silver and I said to Jason, we have known the Collins family since Jason and Jarron joined the NBA in 2001 and they have been exemplary members of the NBA family,” Stern said. “Jason has been a widely respected player and teammate throughout his career and we are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important issue.
"The first openly gay team-sport athlete would earn millions in endorsements and speaking engagements from companies seeking to capture more of a U.S. lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adult population whose annual buying power he pegs at almost $800 billion," Bloomberg wrote after an interview with communications strategist Bob Witeck.


You can read the full Sports Illustrated editorial HERE.

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18 comments:

  1. lovemindanaoMay 1, 2013 at 9:54 AM

    good for you Collins, don't let anyone slow you down. You have bigger balls than the other "men" out there...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YamitoMay 2, 2013 at 1:27 PM

      "You have bigger balls than the other "men" out there..." --- I couldn't agree more! :)

      Delete
  2. KennPaula NicolasMay 1, 2013 at 9:54 AM

    I had a crush on Lance Bass back in highschool. If I knew it then, I might have "cried a river." :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. FrancMay 1, 2013 at 11:45 AM

    It took real courage for Jason Collins to come out since he is in a man's sport and glad a lot of people support him. Neil Patrick Harris and Jim Parsons are also really good actors.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YamitoMay 2, 2013 at 1:29 PM

      Yes, Neil Patrick Harris and Jim Parsons are equally good actors!

      Delete
  4. Kai DarulMay 1, 2013 at 1:56 PM

    as a girl, i still could not accept the fact about Lance. hahaha. he was my childhood crush.. T____T
    woah.. a gay athlete. that's like NEW. Congrats on having the courage!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. BluesolsticeMay 1, 2013 at 2:06 PM

    In the end, it is always about being true to yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  6. papalengMay 1, 2013 at 3:25 PM

    I've read from the news that Jason Collins admitted he is gay. Hats off to this NBA star for telling the truth. I know also of a boxer, sorry forgot the name, admitting he is gay. Who cares if your gay or straight-forward, the important thing is "nagpakatitii sila".

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMay 1, 2013 at 5:08 PM

    I don't really know what's the big deal about being gay and why many people hate that :/ I actually have a lot of gay friends and they are so much better than straight guys! By the way, I love your illustration :D Did you make that up?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YamitoMay 2, 2013 at 1:32 PM

      Did you mean the Venn diagram? No.:) I saw it from my Facebook feeds share by someone. I tried to Google the source/author but i just couldn't track the source.

      Delete
  8. markpogiMay 1, 2013 at 7:20 PM

    I have nothing against them though I'd say to each his own. ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  9. Budget BiyaheraMay 1, 2013 at 9:54 PM

    Slowly but surely, society will be able to accept guys like Collin for their sexuality. I actually have gay friends, and I love them just the same. Anyway, I applaud these people for their strength.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Kim NievesMay 2, 2013 at 7:20 AM

    COOOOOL! I salute Jason Collins for keeping it real, for not being afraid to shout to the world that he's gay.

    ReplyDelete
  11. UnknownMay 2, 2013 at 8:59 AM

    I hope that Jason's coming out, will result to something better and not mean more torment for him. Any case, that step took a lot of courage and I applaud Jason for doing so.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YamitoMay 2, 2013 at 1:35 PM

      In the lives of those who are not famous, coming out may result into something tragic and sad for someone who chose to be true to their selves especially to other countries where bullying is a huge problem.

      Delete
  12. UnknownMay 2, 2013 at 9:19 AM

    Yup people has their decision of what ever they want to be, the important is let's just respect them.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Mommy LevyMay 2, 2013 at 7:15 PM

    Now I know who is the basketball player that my nephew is talking about yesterday.

    ReplyDelete

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