After years of waiting and months of speculation, the very first active professional athlete in a major sports league has finally come out.

Jason Collins, a centre for the Washington Wizards, has officially come out to Sports Illustrated, making him not only the first openly gay player in the NBA, but on any major-league sports team in North America.

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. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, "I'm different." If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand.

My journey of self-discovery and self-acknowledgement began in my hometown of Los Angeles and has taken me through two state high school championships, the NCAA Final Four and the Elite Eight, and nine playoffs in 12 NBA seasons.

Considering how incredibly closeted the professional sports world is, and how close-minded certain athletes can be, this was a huge step for Collins to step forward and represent for gay people in sports. So a huge congratulations to Jason for his bravery and for taking the first step when no one else would. 

[IMG SOURCE: businessinsider.com]

Does anyone else remember Mika? He had a couple of songs back in 2007 and then sort of just disappeared, because British artists aren't exactly known for their longevity in North America. Come on, remember? Mika? Super high voice? A song about Grace Kelly? Possibly a castrato? Yeah, that guy.

Anyway, turns out he's gay.

Many likely remember a 2009 Dutch magazine cover featuring pop star Mika with the sprawling headline “Mika Clears Things Up: Call Me Bisexual.” The only problem was that the story, which he calls “disappointing,” didn’t clear things up at all because it wasn’t exactly what he intended to say. Earlier this week, in a world exclusive, Mika sat down with Instinct to set the record straight (so to speak): “If you ask me am I gay, I say yeah. Are these songs about my relationship with a man? I say yeah. And it’s only through my music that I’ve found the strength to come to terms with my sexuality beyond the context of just my lyrics. This is my real life.”

I mean, good for him for coming out, I guess, but part of this . . . kinda rings of opportunism. He's been avoiding discussing his sexuality entirely for years (as he put it, he doesn't like labels), so the fact that he a) waited three years to clarify the story, and b) basically used bisexuality -- a legitimate sexual orientation in and of itself -- as a sort of gentle introduction to his gayness just smacks a bit disingenuous. Once again, good for him for finally being open about who he is; it just sucks that the route he chose to get there was kinda total bullshit.

A weird thing happened yesterday: two famous people came out of the closet on the same day, both in highly public ways. The first, Anderson Cooper, finally divulged his sexuality, years after everyone else had already figured it out, and the internet shit itself. The second, American Olympic soccer player Megan Rapinoe, came out despite a relative lack of public scrutiny, and no one really noticed.

So here we have two people, both at the top of their crafts, coming out simultaneously and getting very different results. So what gives?

Let's take a look at a few facts: Anderson Cooper is basically a silver-haired Jesus. He's rich, he's handsome, he's charming, he's intelligent and he does a lot of good in his line of work. The same thing can be said for Megan Rapinoe. The only difference is, Anderson Cooper is just more famous.

If we're judging from the perspective of "can their coming out help young LGBT kids struggling with their own identity?" the answer is that they both can. Which is the argument people tend to use when trying to out a celebrity. And for the record, if this were true, I'd be behind it 100 percent. 

The thing is, most of the people asking for celebrities to come out of the closet aren't doing so because they're specifically interested in helping kids. I mean, yes, I'm sure on a fundamental level part of their reasoning is based on helping kids. But for the most part, I'm pretty sure grown adults want celebrities to come out because hearing the details of the lives of the rich and famous is fun. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but you can't force people to come out before they're ready to because you need some gossip. No one is entitled to see the intimate details of another person's life unless they directly affect them.

Don't get me wrong: celebrities coming out is great. I think seeing someone rich and famous living happily as an openly gay man can actually help kids. That being said, I think a lot of the media scrutiny into outing has more to do with idle gossip than it does helping kids. You cannot couch your feelings of entitlement in regards to a celebrity's private life within philanthropy. If you're concerned about showing kids that successful people can live openly gay lives and still be happy, do it yourself. But don't ask famous people to do it just because they have a recognizable face and name.

 

At the recent Kapow! Convention in London, DC Comics announced that one of its major characters would be coming out of the closet. Which means it's time for me to speculate wildly on the internet without any sort of credibility or proof to back me up as to who will come out of the closet. YAY, INTERNET!

Green Lantern

Well, not our Green Lantern specifically, but the one from Earth-Two is pinging on the gaydars of more than a few comic book nerds. Plus, let's face it: when the powers of you and your enemies are based on the colours of a rainbow, being gay makes all the sense. Also, look at that fucking picture. Green Lantern doesn't give a shit. He will scream at flaming skulls because FUCK YOU, SKULLS.

Odds - 1:20

 

Booster Gold

Booster Gold looks like what would happen if you rolled up every single Falcon Studios exclusive model into a single person, gave him time-travelling powers, and stuck him in shiny, gold, ass-hugging tights. He also acts like the star of a Bravo reality show, so if he's not gay, he's at the very least a heteroflexible party boy. 

Odds - 1:15

 

Wonder Woman

WW is one of those rare comic book characters who serves as an icon to both gays and lesbians. She's a strong, powerful woman, but she can also rock out the thigh-high stiletto boots. She strikes the rare balance of power, vulnerability and personality that makes for a great LGBT role model, and her appreciation for bondage would make her more than welcome in the leather community.

Odds - 1:10

 

Poison Ivy

I'm basing this on what I refer to as The Santana Principle. Like Santana Lopez, everyone's favourite snarky lesbian, Poison Ivy started off as a femme fatale, capable of wooing any man she wanted but never really caring for any of them. Over time, both grew closer to their best friend (Brittany:Santana :: Harley Quinn:Poison Ivy) until they realized the extent of their feelings and their true sexual preference. Also, I just think Ivy and Harley would make for a cute couple.

Odds - 1:5

 

Batman and Robin

How can I say this properly . . . Ah, yes. Batman and Robin are gayer than the cocks in Ryan Seacrest's mouth right now. They have a seat in the glass closet right beside Anderson Cooper. The writers of Batman and Robin can't even pretend that the whole thing isn't inherently gay and have gone on the record about it. But in all seriousness, Batman and Robin getting it on canonically would be kinda hot.

Odds - 1:2 

 

If you had asked me who I thought would be the first Firefly stud to come out of the closet... Well, actually, I would have guessed the adorkably hunky Sean Maher, and I would have been completely correct in that assessment, although I secretly would have also pulled for Nathan Fillion. You do not get an ass that perfectly round without taking a few dicks.

But who cares! The super cute Sean Maher, who played Simon Tam on my beloved but cancelled Firefly and who stars in the new show (ugh) The Playboy Club, came out in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. I know some might criticize him for taking his time to come out... Meh, I'm okay with waiting for hot pieces. And on the plus side, at least it wasn't Adam Baldwin, who spent his post-Firefly years getting his crazypants tailored.