14 DAY TRIAL // Washington Wizards center Jason Collins, an NBA player since 2001, has just become America’s first openly gay male pro athlete, by coming out in a beautiful, touching piece in Sports Illustrated.
Collins says that the Boston Marathon bombings made him understand that he could not wait around for ever for the “circumstances of [his] coming out to be perfect,” because that would never happen.
The recent bomb attacks also taught him that life can change in an instant, so he owed it to himself and to those he loved most to be honest.
“Why not live truthfully?,” Collins asks, while admitting that he understands why his announcement will not be a pleasant surprise for the entire world.
“No one wants to live in fear. I've always been scared of saying the wrong thing. I don't sleep well. I never have. But each time I tell another person, I feel stronger and sleep a little more soundly. It takes an enormous amount of energy to guard such a big secret,” he says.
“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. 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,” Collins adds.
His family was also by his side throughout it all. His grandmother was perhaps the most worried that life would take a turn for the worse for him if he came out, but he eventually convinced her that things have changed in 2013.
Nevertheless, “the hardest part of this is the realization that my entire family will be affected,” he says.
“But my relatives have told me repeatedly that as long as I'm happy, they're there for me. I watch as my brother and friends from college start their own families. Changing diapers is a lot of work, but children bring so much joy. I'm crazy about my nieces and nephew, and I can't wait to start a family of my own,” Collins adds.
His entire statement is available here.