Jason Collins has passed at age 47 after a battle with brain cancer — and his death sparked an outpouring of tributes from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.
Collins came out in 2013, becoming not just the first NBA player to do so, but also the first active athlete in one of North America’s four major sports leagues to publicly acknowledge he was gay. After news of his death broke Tuesday, his legacy was honored by many figures in the movement.
“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation. He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47. Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”
“Devastated to hear of the passing of Jason Collins, who made history when he came out in 2013 and then became the first out gay athlete to play in any of the four major North American pro sports leagues,” GLAAD wrote on Instagram, adding, “Our hearts are with everyone who knew and loved him.”
Hudson Taylor, founder and executive director of Athlete Ally, which works toward LGBTQ+ inclusion safety in sports, also remembered Collins as a role model in an Instagram post: “I’ve had the privilege of working with Jason for over a decade. We worked to make sports a space where athletes didn’t have to hide who they loved. A place where athletes understood the power of their words and used their platform to make the world a better place for the people in it. Jason was a trailblazer – the only NBA player to come out while still playing in the league. Jason spent every moment since coming out trying to make it easier for others to do the same. We spent 8 years together educating every incoming NBA player about why it was so important and what players could do about it. He is the role model, the leader, the advocate, and the teammate that I aspire to be. I can’t give his impact any justice in such a forum – but I’m going to say so much more and celebrate him so much more in the days, weeks and years to come. I will miss you dearly my friend.”
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This article originally appeared on Out: LGBTQ+ community mourns Jason Collins, ‘giant’ of the movement