"“I thought it was amazing to put himself under the microscope and the scrutiny and the hatred and the vitriol that was going to happen,” Barkley said. “But man, I hate the way this story ended because he was a shining example.”"
"“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay,” he wrote, becoming the first active men’s professional athlete to come out as gay."
"“Do you, man,” Barkley said. “Obviously, anybody out there who’s struggling with their sexuality, do you. Gay people have the right to do what they want to do. It’s nobody else’s business at all. For him to come out, it was great and obviously, you know, a lot of times, especially in the Black community, when you’re gay, you get treated awful. And that sucks, too. But I was proud of him for coming out.”"
Charles Barkley paid tribute to Jason Collins, a gay former NBA player who died at 47 after battling brain cancer for a year. Barkley described Collins’ decision to come out in 2013 while still an active player as courageous, noting the intense scrutiny, hatred, and vitriol that followed. Collins played 13 NBA seasons and wrote a groundbreaking coming out piece in 2013, stating, “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay,” becoming the first active men’s professional athlete to come out as gay. Barkley emphasized that people struggling with sexuality should “do you,” and he highlighted that homophobia remains widespread, especially affecting Black gay people.
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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