Granderson: Jason Collins came out so we all could keep moving forward
Until his death this month, the retired basketball player spent more than a decade campaigning for connections, bridging divides.
Jason Collins, the first out gay player in the NBA, appeared in the L. A. Pride parade in 2023.
He died Tuesday. (Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images) “I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation.
” —Jason Collins, April 2013 During a wide-ranging interview with “60 Minutes,” Ben Sasse — the former Nebraska senator Ben Sasse who announced he had Stage 4 pancreatic cancer back in December — was asked if social media was to blame for the current state of American politics. His response stuck with me. After calling social media a “central piece” of our division, Sasse ultimately placed the blame at the feet of an older nemesis: segregation.
“I think one of the fundamental things that's wrong in America is young people don't know old people,” he told anchor Scott Pelley. “One of the things 15- and 17-year-olds need is 60-year-olds and 80-year-olds in their life. And so pure segregation is I think a fundamental sociological problem in America.
Continue to the original source for the full article.