News of the week: "I'm a 34 year old N.B.A. center. I'm black. And I'm gay."

Last week capped one of the most historic years of progress on gay rights.   Since this time in 2012, four more states have legalized marriage equality;  DADT is gone, a lesbian has been promoted to the rank of U. S. Army general, and a wedding ceremony has been performed in the chapel at West Point;  President Obama and the Democratic National Convention have embraced marriage equality;  polls show a slight majority of Americans also support gay marriage;  and anti-homosexual rhetoric has lost most of its clout as a political wedge issue.

Then last week, one of the last remaining barriers came down when a 7 foot tall, current player in NBA teams wrote a cover article for Sports Illustrated in which he begins:

"I'm a 34 year old N.B.A. center.   I'm black.   And I'm gay."

This was a carefully planned, positive decision Jason Collins decided to take.   It was not a forced confession in response to rumor or scandal.   Much has been made of how perfect he is to be the first in major league sports to come out while still an active participant, as if ordered up from central casting.   He is imposing physically at 7 feet and powerfully built, he is aggressive on the court, was a student at Stanford University, where he roomed with Joe Kennedy III and went to classes with Chelsea Clinton.  He is an articulate guest on tv, and he speaks easily of his Christian values.

Equally remarkable -- at least to those of us who lived through the rough past of gay wrongs before the concept of gay rights emerged -- is the reception from the sports world and from the general public.   President Obama called to congratulate him, as did the head of the NBA organization.   Numerous teammates have given their public support.   Various media have proclaimed him a hero.

How different our world has become.  Fourteen countries and 10 U. S. states now allow gay marriage.   All this makes it even more unacceptable that, in some countries, same-sex behavior is still criminalized and, in a few, carries the death penalty.

A few detractors, rather than still harping on it as "sin" or "illness," still had to show their disapproval by asking why gays can't just shut up about it.   Why do they have to keep reminding us about it?

Frank Bruni, answered that in his New York Times column:

"Many of us want to, and will [shut up], when a gay, lesbian or transgendered kid isn't at special risk of being brutalized or committing suicide.  When the federal government outlaws discrimination against people based on sexual orientation, which it still hasn't done. . . .  When being gay doesn't warrant a magazine cover or a phone call from the president."

So now another barrier -- pro sports -- has crumbled.   Of course there have been gay pro sports players before -- just not free to let anyone know about it for fear it would hurt the team's morale or popularity, lose them their lucrative contracts, disrupt the locker room, and give a bad name to the sport.  As to the locker room:   Collins has been walking around naked in locker rooms for 12 seasons, and no one has accused him of leering or making passes at teammates.   So what's the big deal?  It's not catching, you know.

Ralph