The biggest news story of today was Jason Collins’ announcement that he is gay. Collins is an active professional basketball player, and the story is that he is the first active male athlete in a major team sport in the United States to come out of the closet.
While it’s great for him that he can live his life out in the open, and I could never begin to imagine what it’s like to hide behind a facade like that, my first reaction was: so?
Don’t get me wrong; I understand that it’s a big deal. But if we’re truly a more tolerant society, which in a lot of ways we are, shouldn’t someone not need to make an announcement?
I guess it just bothers me that this matters. I think the comments along the lines of “oh he’s not a star so it doesn’t count” are stupid. Of course it “counts.” I just don’t like that we’re even debating that. We should all be free to live our lives without hiding who we were, and without having to orchestrate an announcement.
I see the messages of support on Twitter and in the news media for Collins. On the one hand, that’s great; I’m glad his colleagues are showing that they care for him. By all accounts, he’s an intelligent, thoughtful guy, and I’m glad people like him. But on the other hand, if we feel the need to show our support for someone because they live a certain lifestyle, or because we know they’re going to deal with negativity because of it, then have we really advanced all that much?
Ideally, there will be a time when an athlete, or movie star, or politician, or the bartender down the street “coming out” won’t happen. They will simply be gay, and people will know it, or they won’t, and it won’t matter. They’ll just be Bob, the guy who works at the deli. Or George, the guy you went to high school with. Or Jason, the professional basketball player.
Someday. Unfortunately, that day wasn’t today.
A Revolution From My Bed 