Jason Collins (Kathy Kmonicek/AP)
I’m not interested in writing about organizers sponsoring St. Patrick’s Day parades that don’t allow gay people march in them. Their attitudes are behind the times. When they finally realize they need to catch up, we’ll be here — glaring at them with wild-eyed impatience, no doubt. Instead, kudos belong to the National Basketball Association and specifically to the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets announced via an online statement Saturday morning that Jason Collins was signed to play with the team for the remainder of the season. This is significant because Collins was the first openly gay male professional athlete when he came out last April. He then became the first openly gay male athlete to actually play when signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn ball team last month.
The fact that the temporary job became permanent shows that Collins proved himself worthy of the uniform. It also proved something that should never have been in doubt: gays can play sports. They just need to be allowed to play — openly.