My chat with Jason Collins

It was nice to meet Jason Collins for the first time after writing umpteenth stories about him since April.

He was one of the honorees at Saturday night’s LA Gay & Lesbian Center’s Vanguard Awards and I snagged him for a red carpet chat.

He’s tall as you would expect but what you don’t expect is how tired your arm will get holding your recorder up near his mouth.

So Jason is a veteran NBA player who came out in a big Sports Illustrated story last spring.

Since then, he has not played a single NBA game. He came out when the season ended and is a free agent. The phone has not rung. Could be because he’s too old (34) or too expensive or, let’s face it, there may not be a team who wants to deal with the extra attention he would bring.

It’s impossible to really know at this point.

But Jason does not seem down at all. He seems to be enjoying his newfound celebrity and the new people it is bringing into his life.

‘Whatever your situation you try to have a positive outlook on so everything is a blessing,’ he told me. ‘I couldn’t be happier and more content with being able to live an authentic and genuine life.’

Of the reaction to his coming out he says: ‘From the gay community it’s been all positive. The more events that I come to I’m meeting more and more people and making more and more friends. Life is good.’

I lost his attention for a second as the cast of Orange is the New Black took over the red carpet.

‘I’m sorry,’ Jason said, laughing. ‘I’m just watching two women kiss.’

To see my full interview with Jason, go over to Gay Star News!

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