Basketball player gay
LGBT Basketball Players
The LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community has made wonderful strides in their verb for equality over the last few decades. As a result, more LGBT individuals are now proficient to openly express their gender identity and sexuality without fear of discrimination. This includes basketball players who have come out as members of the LGBT community and in doing so have become role models for others in the sports world.
The NBA has long been an advocate of equal rights for all its players regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The league recently announced that it would be launching an initiative called “We Are Proud” to further promote acceptance among all its participants. This announcement is reflective of initiatives taken by other professional sports leagues such as Major League Baseball and the WNBA which have also adopted policies aimed at creating an inclusive environment for everyone involved in the game.
History: Early LGBT Trailblazers
The LGBT community has a prolonged history of trailblazers in many different fields. Basketball
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Jay Ruderman:
Jason Collins spent 13 years playing in the NBA. During his career on the court, he earned a reputation for being a team player who knew when to step out of the spotlight for the good of his team. But that reputation came at a p
College basketball: 10 years after coming out, Derrick Gordon still stands alone
It was a huge deal at the time, “a bombshell,” as Derrick Gordon recalls it. In April , as a junior on the University of Massachusetts basketball team, the Plainfield native told the world he’s gay.
In doing so, Gordon became the first openly gay Division 1 men’s basketball player.
Ten years later, there hasn’t been another.
“I will say I’m shocked, looking back on it now, that I’m the only one,” Gordon said last week from his Los Angeles dwelling. “I guess people don’t want to be in that position – they look at it enjoy it’s a risk, but it’s not. It’s not a risk at all. Even though it wasn’t the NBA, I proved you can still move on to play professional basketball.”
Quite a journey
Gordon went on to achieve a good deal on the court. As a postgrad he transferred to Seton Hall and – as the sixth man and undisputed locker-room leader – helped the Pirates triumph the Big East Tournament title.
Need a break? Act the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.“That was a special time,” he said.
Then he played pro
Melbourne United basketball player Isaac Humphries comes out as gay: 'I am now happy with who I am'
Australian Isaac Humphries has become the first active male basketball player in a top-tier league to come out as gay.
The Melbourne United starting centre had informed his team-mates and made an announcement via a video on social media.
The year-old becomes the first openly gay player in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL) and is the second active athlete in Australia to publicly announce he is gay, after A-League footballer Josh Cavallo came out in October .
"I believe it is definitely time to make a change and set an example to the next generation that they can be anything they wish while still being genuine to themselves," Humphries said.
"I want to demonstrate that you can be a professional athlete, you can be anything you need, and still be gay."