In a significant moment in professional sports history, Jason Collins, a 12-year veteran of the NBA, today became the first active male athlete in a major U.S. team sport to come out as gay. Collins made his announcement in a moving 2,800-word Sports Illustrated article, in which he details the turmoil he felt having “to live a lie.” Buried in the piece is a flash of praise for—as well as a hearty charge to—K-12 teachers. The 34-year-old Collins writes:
The more people who speak out, the better, gay or straight. It starts with President Obama's mentioning the 1969 Stonewall riots, which launched the gay rights movement, during his second inaugural address. And it extends to the grade-school teacher who encourages her students to accept the things that make us different.