Jason Collins says it’s ‘great’ that the NBA moved the All Star game out of North Carolina
NBA star Jason Collins has said he thinks its “great” that the NBA moved its All Star game out of North Carolina over its anti-LGBT HB2 law.
The NBA moved the game from Charlotte, North Carolina to New Orleans, over the widely-condemned law which bans trans people from using gender-appropriate restrooms.
Speaking to TMZ, Collins said the game “had to be moved”, and that it is “great” that it was.
Check out the video, via TMZ, below:
Collins last year revealed he came out to Hillary Clinton before he opened up to the world.
Former Brooklyn Nets player Jason Collins made history in 2013 when he came out as gay on the cover of Sports Illustrated – the first US pro sports star to do so.
The player is a close family friend of the Clintons, having first met Chelsea Clinton while both were attending Stanford.
Collins gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention last year, as Hillary Clinton prepared to accept the party’s Presidential nomination.
In his speech, Collins reveals that the Clintons knew he was gay before he told the world.
He said: “My dream was to play in the NBA and live my authentic life as a proud gay man at the same time.
“I was able to accomplish both of those goals because of the people who have supported me throughout my life.
“Before I came out to the world on the cover of Sports illustrated, I came out privately to the Clinton family.
“I have known their family for almost 20 years. I knew that they would accept me for who I was; and that they would help pave a path for others to do the same.
“I am forever grateful for their words of wisdom back then and their unconditional support. ”
He added: “They know that my sexual orientation made no difference in my ability to play basketball, just as someone’s gender makes no difference in his or [emphasis] her ability to lead our nation.
“Hillary has befriended the LGBT community for years, from co-sponsoring the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, to helping pass the first ever UN resolution on LGBT human rights, to making sure transgender individuals’ passports could reflect their true gender.”
