I Didn't Say It ...

Tom Daley, British diver, coming out ... as straight:

"I think it’s funny when people say I’m gay... I laugh it off. I’m not. But even if I was, I wouldn’t be ashamed. It wouldn’t bother me in the slightest what people thought. But I can understand why I have a massive gay following – I spend most of my life half naked in trunks on a diving board showing off my bare chest. I often joke I wear more to bed than I do to work. But I’m cool with my gay following. It’s great to have gay fans even though my friends gently take the mick. I just think about my diving.”

I think about your diving, too, and that teeny weenie bikini you’re wearing while doing so.

Pia Z’adorable.

Bryan Fischer, American Family Association spokesbigot, saying gay rights activists are modern day Nazis: 

"That's what homosexual activists want to do today. Not physically, but through intimidation and legal action and harassment do the same thing to Christians today. They are not content to 'live and let live.' They've go to punish. They've got to destroy. They've got to eliminate. They've got to marginalize. They've got to neutralize. They've got to completely silence any voice that defends man-woman marriage and the abiding truths of the word of God."

I consider myself a bit of a gay activist — being out and vocal and all — and I have zero problems with most Christians. My problem is with those Christians who seek to use their religion, forgetting all others, to make law in this country.

SIDENOTE: Fischer says he knows "for a matter of historical record" that Hitler's top stormtroopers were gay and that the Nazi Party started in a gay bar.

Um, was he there? In the gay bar? Answer that question, Bryan.

Sandy Rios, American Family Association spokesmodel and bigot, on how a US military intervention in Syria will fail because of women and The Gays: 

"When I looked at those battleships going into the Mediterranean, supposedly getting ready for battle in Syria, I couldn't help think about all the stories I've read about how women now are in the ranks of the Navy, getting pregnant at exponential numbers; when I think about the folding in and the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and the homosexual takeover of so much of our military I'm not sure how effective those naval ships will be."

Once again, Sandy Rios dumbs down women and The Gays into groups that think only about sex and nothing else.

I wonder if Rios was in that gay bar with Fischer and the Nazis because she's so all-consumed with the sex that other people are having. It's all she thinks about.

Sandy quite possibly needs to get laid.

Barry Smitherman, the Texas Railroad Commission Chairman who is running for Attorney General, on Texas secession:

"We are uniquely situated because we have energy resources, fossil and otherwise, and our own independent electrical grid. Generally speaking, we have made great progress in becoming an independent nation, an ‘island nation’ if you will, and I think we want to continue down that path so that if the rest of the country falls apart, Texas can operate as a stand-alone entity with energy, food, water and roads as if we were a closed-loop system."

Don’t forget, you moron, that your ‘island nation’ works both ways, and when you have another horrific explosion at one of your unregulated factories don’t ask the US of A for help; when the tornados comes, well, sorry, and when the hail storms hit, take care of yourself. Works both ways, ya crackpot!

Wentworth Miller, at a Human Rights Campaign event, on growing up gay, and being gay in Hollywood:

"Growing up I was a target. Speaking the right way, standing the right way, holding your wrist the right way. Every day was a test and there was a thousand ways to fail...A thousand ways to portray yourself to not live up to someone else's standards of what was accepted....The first time I tried to kill myself I was 15. I waited until my family went away for the family and I was alone in the house and I swallowed a bottle of pills. I don't remember what happened over the next couple of days but I'm pretty sure come Monday morning I was on the bus back to school pretending everything was fine .... I had multiple opportunities to speak my truth, which is that I was gay, but I chose not to. I was out privately to family and friends. Publicly, I was not. I chose to lie. When I thought about the possibility of coming out, how that might impact me and the career I worked so hard for, I was filled with fear."

That sums up the childhood of so many LGBTQ youth, and wouldn’t it be better if we just accepted everyone as who they are, and didn’t try to label them, denigrate them, insult them.

Just think how many kids would no longer think about suicide and that should be enough to make people stop.

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AFA's Ray Rooney: The ‘Problem’ With The Gays Is We Like To Talk About Our Sex Lives

It’s pretty safe to assume that I am not a fan of homophobic, anti-gay American Family Association [AFA] and its spokesbigot Bryan Fischer, but sometimes, sometimes, you gotta look at them, and him, and just laugh. I mean, no one, not even LGBT rights groups, spend more of their and effort talking about The Gays and sex than the AFA, so either they’re really interested, or they’re taking lessons.

But the part that makes me laugh about the AFA today is a blog post by one of their minions, Ray Rooney, who says the problem with The Gays is that we want to talk about how we have sex, and with whom, and how we do it, and how often.

That came as news to me, but I’ll ask you, dear readers, to take a moment — and you may need more time — to peruse this blog thingy for all the times I’ve discussed how I have sex with Carlos, the, um, in-and-outs, as it were, of our sexual relationship. I’d say I’ll wait, but there’s no need to look for I have never discussed our sex life because it’s nunya bidness, as they say. And then head over to the Human Rights Campaign or Freedom To Marry or GLAAD or any other LGBT rights group and see how often they mention gay sex.

Still, this week AFA blogger Ray Rooney Jr. penned a column entitled “The Real Problem With Homosexuality” in which he says that the real reason homosexuality is wrong is because The Gays want everyone to know that they have sex with someone of the same sex:

“What I find perverse about homosexuality is the insistence from the gay community that I should know about their sexual proclivities. Normal people understand that sex is an extremely intimate and therefore private act. I would find it troubling, if not disgusting, for anyone to talk publicly about what kind of sex they like to practice. Normal people do not want to broadcast to the world the details of their sex lives. There is something wrong with those who want complete strangers to know who they like to have sex with.

Medical statistics tell me homosexuality is unhealthy. My Christian faith teaches me it is unrighteous. Common sense tells me it is unfruitful and unnatural. But none of that is why I am fed up with the gay community. I’m just sick of hearing about how one group of people demand that everyone in the world accept who they want to have sex with!

I wonder if all the stories making the news today about bakers and florists being forced to cater to homosexuals would be stories but for people announcing who they like to have sex with? I mean, did the offended customers come in and ask for a wedding cake or flowers for their wedding and were denied service because they looked like homosexuals? Or did the customer come in and announce their sexual preference and then demand service? I suspect the latter.

I believe homosexuality is wrong. Just like I believe adultery and sex outside of marriage is wrong. But even though I believe I have good reasons for opposing homosexuality as a normative lifestyle based on science, medicine, and faith, that is not why I strongly oppose it. I believe anyone who insists everyone know what they do in their bedroom and with whom is perverse. Normal people do not define themselves solely on the basis of who they are sexually attracted to.”

Wow, what a delusional asshat, because, if I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard or seen straight folks having sex — like nearly every night on my TV — I’d be rich as Donald Freaking Trump, only with better, real, hair.

Sure some gay folks talk about their sex lives, and even discuss it in detail, but so do straight people, and, for the record, Ray Rooney, being gay isn’t just sex, it’s about attraction, and compatibility and love and togetherness and sex; the same exact things as being straight, except we’re attracted to people of our own gender. We actually aren’t any different from straight folks, except in one key area: we are attracted to members of our own sex.

And that’s that. The people who seem to want to discuss The Gays and how they have sex, and why they have sex, and with whom, really seem to be those anti-gay groups. They seem to think that if they discuss what we do—or at least what they imagine we do when they are home alone, under the covers, with a jar of hand lotion and a c*m rag—that straight people will join their fight.

The Gays don't demand that you accept the people with whom we have sex, we actually could give a rat's behind about acceptance; we'd just like to be treated equally. It's not about sex for us, it's about equality, but people like Rooney and Fischer and the AFA don't get that. They'd rather talk about sex than equal rights, even though most straight people could care less what we do behind closed doors, just like we could care less what they do.

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I Didn't Say It ....

Tom Hiddleston, on having gay fans, and making their “Hot” lists:

“Honestly, I’m flattered and proud. I’ve never made a distinction, to be honest. I feel very proud that I’ve grown up as part of a generation that simply doesn’t make a distinction between gay and straight really…it just really isn’t an issue or actually it is. You know you read about what’s happening in Russia and it’s shocking but for me and the circle of friends that I grew up with, the places where I mostly spend my time, it’s like, ‘Oh. So you like strawberry ice cream and you like vanilla ice cream.’ It’s all good. It’s all ice cream. Anyway, I have many, many gay friends and so I am thrilled that they are fans.”

A fan’s sexual orientation should never be put in question.

They’re fans, not prospective lovers and life-mates.

PS: Tom Hiddleston is adorable.

Ricky Martin, on being an In-The-Closet-Homophobe:

"I was very angry, very rebellious. I used to look at gay men and think, I'm not like that, I don't want to be like that, that's not me. I was ashamed. When you're told you're wrong by everyone, from society, from your faith — my self-esteem was crushed. I took my anger out on those around me. I look back now and realize I would bully people who I knew were gay. I had internalized homophobia. To realize that was confronting to me. I wanted to get away from that."

The biggest homophobes, as I’ve always said, are those gay men, and women, still living in a closet of self-loathing.

Nice that Ricky acknowledged it.

PS: Ricky gets better looking the older he gets.

Bryan Fischer, AFA spokesbigot, on why Hillary Clinton won't win in 2016: 

"She's just going to be too old, going to be too saggy, gravity will have done too much of its mojo on her; she's just going to look old and tired next to virtually anybody that the Republicans run out there."

Pot.Kettle.Sagging bigot.

Take a look in a mirror Bryan, if saggy and old is so bad, get off’a the TV and the internet already.

Cory Booker, on the rumors that he is gay:

“I have not settled down with a life partner ... Because how unfair is it to a young lady to put them in the spotlight if they haven’t signed up for that yet? And people who think I’m gay, some part of me thinks it’s wonderful. Because I want to challenge people on their homophobia. I love seeing on Twitter when someone says I’m gay, and I say, ‘So what does it matter if I am? So be it. I hope you are not voting for me because you are making the presumption that I’m straight.’”

This is a new age of politicians and of people who are standing up and saying, ‘So what if you think I’m gay, it’s not a bad thing.’

PS: the shallow part of me, kinda wishes he was gay because he’s just adorable.

James Blake, professional tennis player who retired this week, on the anti-gay laws in Russia:

"I think everyone at this point, when you look at numbers, someone in your circle, whether it's a family member or a friend, is gay, transgender, or bisexual. You should appreciate that those people are valued members of society, people that are doing something good in the world. They should feel comfortable to live their lives. I think any sort of policy that discriminates against them, that excludes them, is completely unfair in today's day and age. That's why I say we're 50 years out and there are still things going on that are discriminatory."

It’s true, it’s not just anti-gay laws and sentiments, it’s about valuing all people. This is just another brand of discrimination we have to rid ourselves of so we can move on.

PS: he's all kinds of hot.

Francis George, Chicago's Catholic Cardinal, on marriage equality: 

"This is first of all a rational issue before it's a faith issue. That is, it's nature that tells us what marriage is, that in marriage, men and women aren't interchangeable. We didn't invent marriage. The church didn't invent marriage. Nature gives us marriage. The Chinese are not Americans, and they're not Catholic. They know what marriage is. Where did that come from?"

Um, Frankie George, take a look at your Bible and see where it says marriage is one man and one woman, or one man, one woman and a concubine, or one man and one woman as property, or one man and a couple of women, or one man and the wife of his dead brother.

It’s in Genesis if you need help.

Check out Deuteronomy where it says a man who rapes a virgin is married to her.  Or where it says, in times of war, men kill all the men women and children, except for the virgins, who become their wives.  Or Exodus where a slave owner tells a male slave who he marries.

You didn’t invent marriage, but you sure have effed it up over the years.

Miley Cyrus, speaking out about her much-discussed VMAs performance.

"I don't pay attention to the negative because I've seen this play out so many times. How many times have we seen this play out in pop music? Madonna's done it. Britney's done it. Every VMA performance, that's what you're looking for; you're wanting to make history. Me and Robin the whole time we said, 'you know we're about to make history right now.' What's amazing is I think now, we're three days later and people are still talking about it. They're over thinking it. You're thinking about it more than I thought about it when I did it. Like, I didn't even think about it 'cause that's just me."

You’re not Madonna. Hell, you aren’t even Britney.

You’re a little girl who’s grown up in the spotlight and is looking for a way to stay there, and when that’s all you are, you’ll soon be nowhere fast.

Zachary Quinto, on coming out and how he hopes it will soon stop:

“It really shouldn’t be a f—ing issue. You know what I mean? I understand people’s interest in having a conversation with me about it, but I also feel like, ‘Let’s stop having that conversation and just have the conversation about how we can continue to encourage the evolution and change that’s already brought us so far.’”

I like knowing who is gay and straight, but we never ask the question of our celebrities, ‘Are you straight’ we just ask the Gay question.

I’d like a day where it doesn’t matter and people just are gay and straight and everything in between, without question or judgment.

PS: Yes, adorable.

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I Didn't Say It ....

Riley Roberts, 18-years-old, speaking to the Nevada Assembly, asking for marriage equality for his two moms:

“My name is Riley Roberts and my life is amazing. Thank you for the opportunity to talk to you about the issue of gay marriage and how it affects my life. What issue? I see no issue. I was born in Reno, Nevada 18 years ago and guess who was there? My mom Pamela Roberts and Gretchen Miller, my loving parents. And who was there to watch me take my first steps? Pamela Roberts and Gretchen Miller. And who was there when I said my first words? My two loving parents. And who was there when I kicked my first soccer ball? My two loving parents. And who can I talk to when I need anything? My two loving parents. And who will be there to see me walk across the stage next month and receive my honors diploma? My two gay loving parents who have been together for 22 years."

How can anyone say that two women, or two men, cannot be good parents, when it’s quite obvious, again, that Pamela Roberts and Gretchen Miller raised an amazing son?

Madness, I tell you; that’s got to be the only reason.

Chelsea Clinton, on marriage equality:

"It just seems so fundamental to me. I'm able to marry the person I wanted to marry. That's the fundamental human imperative. Those of us who have been lucky enough should expand these rights to others."

Equality should be fundamental, eh?

I mean, wasn’t there something that went something like ‘all men are created equal’?

E.W. Jackson, GOP nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor, standing by his declaration that gay people are perverted and sick:

"I say the things that I say because I’m a Christian, not because I hate anybody, but because I have religious values that matter to me. Attacking me because I hold to those principles is attacking every church-going person, every family that’s living a traditional family life, everybody who believes that we all deserve the right to live. So I don’t have anything to rephrase or apologize for. I would just say people should not paint me as one-dimensional."

See what he does there?

He attacks gay people by calling them pedophiles and perverts and saying we’re sick, but when he gets attacked for his views, he pulls out a Bible to hide behind.

Judge not, asshat.

Brian Brown, NOM’s lapdog, on the recent half-assed Boy Scouts gay inclusion vote:

"Today is a sad day for the Boy Scouts of America. They have succumbed to political pressure and abandoned their historic roots in what will prove to be a failed attempt to appease gay activists and corporate donors. Unfortunately, what they have done is said to the world that their oath no longer means much. Their decision to admit openly gay scouts will end up sexualizing the organization. I am certain that having changed their policy on homosexuality, it's only a matter of time before courts order them to admit homosexual scout leaders. Meanwhile, countless thousands of churches will very likely pull their sponsorship rather than endorse homosexuality, and the entire organization will begin to collapse. All of this is happening not because of a true grassroots demand of gay youth to be part of the organization but by an orchestrated political effort by gay activists who want to punish any group or organization that does not embrace homosexuality. It's the beginning of the end for what once was one of America's noblest organizations."

I love how Brown says that by the Boy Scouts trying a little non-discrimination—at least until the scout becomes eighteen years of age—that they are advancing the homosexual agenda, or appeasing the homosexual community.

What they are doing, halfp-0assed though it may be, is treating all kids equally.

Then, of course, they’ll treat the gay adults as less than.

Bryan Fischer, AFA wingnut, on why the Mormon Church ended up supporting the, as he now calls them because name-calling works, the Boy Sodomizers of America’s decision to lift the ban on gay scouts:

"The LDS leadership, these people are smart, they're sharp, they're thinking all the time and I believe one of the reasons they may have gone soft on the homosexual agenda is that they believe that the homosexual agenda may be the secret to restoring polygamy to America and this would vindicate Mormon doctrine from the very beginning."

So, the Mormon Church sees the idea of letting young gay boys join an organization as a stepping stone toward legalizing polygamy.

Even for Fischer, who never met a lie he didn’t want to spread around like horseshit, that’s a stretch.

Harvey Fierstein, on the war against The Gays:

"The first prong is political. When a politician like Marco Rubio is willing to sacrifice his career defining immigration reform legislation solely to insure that gays and lesbians are denied equal protection under the law, we have to admit that we're under attack. This is not pragmatic politics at work. These are the policies of bias, exclusion and unfairness. 

The second wave is the steady barrage coming from those who would call themselves moral leaders. Shielded behind lecterns, they assign condemnation with impunity. Claiming to be brimming with the love of their creator, they spew forth the cowardice of the mob. Fundamentalism, whether raining down terror abroad or in homilies from our home parishes, is the enemy. It is the death knell of tolerance, progress and compromise. Fundamentalism is, in all practicality, nothing but an invitation to bigotry. 

And thirdly, when we excuse homophobia as a matter of opinion instead of treating it as a destructive social illness, we invite fear to explode into violence. How often are the perpetrators of hate-crimes discovered to be self-loathing? Valued individuals do not strike out against strangers."

Read those words.

As usual, Fierstein is perfection.

Frank Rich, on LGBT history:

"As we just learned, a man can still be murdered for being gay a few blocks away from the Stonewall Inn. But the rapidity of change has been stunning. The world only spins forward, as Tony Kushner wrote. And yet as we celebrate the forward velocity of gay rights, I think we must glance backward as well. History is being lost in this shuffle—that of those gay men and women who experienced little or none of today’s freedoms. Whatever the other distinctions between the struggles of black Americans and gay Americans for equality under the law—starting with the overarching horror of slavery—one difference is intrinsic. Black people couldn’t (for the most part) hide their identity in an America that treated them cruelly. Gay people could hide and, out of self-protection, often did. That’s why their stories were cloaked in silence and are at risk of being forgotten."

Just a reminder that, in order to move forward, we need to look back, and honor and remember and celebrate those who planted their feet in resistance to discrimination; those who chose not to hide, but to step into the light and demand equality.

James Blake, hot American tennis player, on becoming an Athlete Ally in the fight against homophobia:

“I am proud to be affiliated with Athlete Ally because they do exceptional work that can actually make a difference in the sports world and beyond. Inclusion doesn't have to be a political issue, but more a human issue. As a mixed background person, I have been told I could be hated by both sides. I have always tried to look at it the opposite way as a positive that I could be accepted and included. I am extremely lucky and feel that everyone should have the feeling of acceptance.”

It’s right in there: inclusion is a human issue. It defies religion and faith and politics.

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I Didn't Say It .... The Jason Collins Edition

Jarron Collins, Jason Collins’s twin brother, on his brother’s coming out as the first openly gay, still playing, professional athlete:

"I won't lie. I had no idea. We talked, he answered my questions, I hugged him and I digested what he had told me. At the end of the day, this is what matters: He's my brother, he's a great guy, and I want him to be happy. I'll love him and I'll support him and, if necessary, I'll protect him. What does Jason want out of this? He wants to live his life. He wants a relationship, he wants a family, he wants to settle down. He wants to move forward with his personal life while maintaining his life as a professional basketball player. That's all, really. This announcement will be surprising to some people. I already anticipate the questions: 'Are you the gay twin or the straight one?' This is uncharted territory, and no one can predict how it will play out. It's a big deal -- but it's also not a big deal. When the media crush is over, Jason will have the strength to deal with whatever challenges come from being openly gay. Today, Jason has taken a huge weight off his shoulders. And I've never been more proud of him." 

Coming out is hard.
Coming out to your family, and wondering if they'll still love and accept is harder still.
Coming out to a twin, who feels about you like Jarron Collins does towards Jason, is a great, great thing.

Chris Broussard, of ESPN, saying Jason Collins cannot be gay and a Christian:

"Personally, I don’t believe that you can live an openly homosexual lifestyle or an openly, like premarital sex between heterosexuals. If you’re openly living that type of lifestyle, then the Bible says you know them by their fruits. It says that, you know, that’s a sin. If you’re openly living in unrepentant sin, whatever it may be, not just homosexuality, whatever it maybe, I believe that’s walking in open rebellion to God and to Jesus Christ. So I would not characterize that person as a Christian because I don’t think the bible would characterize them as a Christian."

I think the Bible might characterize Broussard as a person who judges others, and yet, doesn't the Bible say something about not judging.
And, by the way, if The Gays were allowed to marry we wouldn't all be having pre-marital sex. And, again by the way, the Bible lists all kinds of sins, Chris; and I'm sure you commit some of those 'sins' and still call yourself a Christian.

Frank Bruni, writing for the New York Times, on when gay folks will stop talking about famous people coming out:

"Many of us want to, and will: when a gay, lesbian or transgendered kid isn’t at special risk of being brutalized or committing suicide. When the federal government outlaws discrimination against people based on sexual orientation, which it still hasn’t done … When immigration laws give same-sex couples the same consideration that they do heterosexual ones. When the Defense of Marriage Act crumbles and our committed relationships aren’t relegated to a lesser status, a diminished dignity … When a Rutgers coach doesn’t determine that the aptly ugly garnish for hurling basketballs at his players’ heads is the slur 'faggot. When professional football scouts don’t try to ascertain that potential recruits are straight … When an athlete like Collins can be honest about himself without he and his co-author having to stress that he’s a guy’s guy, a godly man, someone who stayed mum about himself before now precisely so he wouldn’t disrupt his teams or upset his teammates, someone who’s inhabited locker rooms for 12 seasons already without incident … When a gay person’s central-casting earnestness and eloquence aren’t noted with excitement and relief, because his or her sexual orientation needn’t be accompanied by a litany of virtues and accomplishments in order for bigotry to be toppled and a negative reaction to be overcome."

One day it'll be no big deal.
One day it'll just be.

Ellen DeGeneres, on Jason Collins’ coming out:

"I applaud you Jason Collins, I applaud you. That is a very brave man. I would high-five you but I don’t think I can reach you. But when I see you, I am gonna hug your knees so hard. So, so brave. Really, you’re an incredible role model. Because of you, there’s a little boy playing basketball right now who knows that he can be who he is and play the sport that he loves. Now that little boy’s only obstacle is that he’s gonna be 5’4” and terrible at basketball. But you’ve done your part." 

As I always say, one person, any person, famous or not, coming out, makes a difference. You might not know it because it won't make the news, but every time once of us comes out, the world changes for the better.

Bryan Fischer, of the ironically named hate group American Family Association, calling Jason Collins a sexual predator:

"I will guarantee you if the ownership of whatever team is thinking about bringing him back or thinking about trading for him - and they go to the players on that team and they say 'how do you feel about an out, active homosexual being in the same locker room sharing the same shower facilities with you' they'd say 'no way. I don't want that. I don't want some guy, a teammate eyeballin' me in the shower and my wife does not want that." 

I find it funny how much time and energy people like Bryan Fischer fantasize and sermonize about gay sex. Methinks he's a little too interested in it.
And, for the record, Jason Collins was gay last year, and showering with other men, and I didn't hear any uproar about him "eyeballin" the other men. Maybe it's because he's less obsessed with gay sex than Bryan Fischer.
And, lastly, Fischer is such a troll he need not worry about any man, gay or straight, trying to eye his balls.

Martina Navratilova, openly gay tennis legend, on Jason Collins’ coming out:

“When I came out, in 1981, I didn't have much public support and I know I lost endorsements. But I never had to worry about losing my job. In tennis, there are no bosses, no general managers and no coaches who can keep players from competing. So I was safe in that regard. For team sports athletes, this is not the case. A homophobic coach at any level -- high school, college or pros -- could keep a player from playing. …Now that Jason Collins has come out, he is the proverbial "game-changer." One of the last bastions of homophobia has been challenged. How many LGBT kids, once closeted, are now more likely to pursue a team sport and won't be scared away by a straight culture? Collins has led the way to freedom. Yes, freedom -- because that closet is completely and utterly suffocating. It's only when you come out that you can breathe properly. It's only when you come out that you can be exactly who you are. Collins' action will save lives. This is no exaggeration: Fully one third of suicides among teenagers occur because of their sexuality. Collins will truly affect lives, too. Millions of kids will see that it is OK to be gay. No need for shame, no need for embarrassment, no need for hiding."

She's right: it was easier for her to come out, even 30 years ago, because she wasn't part of a team, and there wasn't that stigma of 'What will the team do?'
And she's also right that, while she lost endorsements, the tide is changing and companies will realize that a gay player is just as "ad worthy" as a straight player.

Andy Roddick, tennis star, and longtime crush, on becoming an LGBT Athlete Ally:
"Yesterday was an incredible day for athletes everywhere. Jason Collin’s courage and leadership in coming out reminds me of how important it is for an athlete to be able to be true to him or herself. As an Athlete Ally, I want to support every athlete to feel comfortable and confident being themselves and to make sure that all people - players and fans alike – are welcome and included in tennis.”

All I got is: he's hot.
And an LGBT ally, which makes him even hotter.

President Barack Obama, on Jason Collins' coming out: 
"I had a chance to talk to him yesterday. He seems like a terrific young man. I told him I couldn't be prouder. One of the extraordinary measures of progress that we've seen in this country has been the recognition that the LGBT community deserves full equality, not just partial equality, not just tolerance, but a recognition that they're fully part of the American family. And given the importance of sports in our society, for an individual who's excelled at the highest levels in one of the major sports to say, 'This is who I am, I'm proud of it. I'm still a great competitor. I'm still 7 foot tall and can bang with Shaq and deliver a hard foul.' And you know, for, I think, a lot of young people out there who are gay or lesbian who are struggling with these issues, to see a role model like that who is unafraid, I think this is a great thing. And I think Americans should be proud that this is just one more step in this ongoing recognition that we treat everybody fairly and everybody's part of a family and we judge people on the basis of their character and their performance and not their sexual orientation. I'm very proud of him."

It was a great and brave thing to do.
Being the first at anything is hard, but someone had to do it.
Thanks Jason.

Judy and Dennis Shepard, on the story that Jason Collins chose #98 to wear in honor of Matthew Shepard [it's the year Matthew died]:

“(Collins) couldn’t have been that old (when it happened), so it must have had a tremendous impact on him, the story behind Matt, for him to want to do that. And then to wear it all this time without telling people why until today, that’s incredible.”

We all take our steps towards coming out, and Collins choosing that number was a way to remind himself that his journey toward being out was on its way.

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