Tag: openly gay

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Michael Sam signs four-year contract with St. Louis Rams

This past Thursday, Michael Sam made history again as he signed a four-year contract with the St. Louis Rams reportedly worth $2.65 million.

Built into the contract is a $46,000 guarantee.

All 11 members selected by the Rams during the 2014 Draft made the final cut.

In celebration, Sam tweeted this photo of his rookie teammates with the caption, “Grateful, humbled, and motivated after officially signing with all my Rams rookie brothers.”

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Robert Garcia becomes first Latino, first openly gay and youngest mayor of Long Beach

With 52% of the vote, Long Beach City Councilman Robert Garcia becomes the city’s first openly gay mayor. Garcia is also the city’s first Latino mayor and the youngest candidate ever elected to the office of mayor.

Speaking to NBC Los Angeles, Garcia had this to say about being “first”:

“I think you run, not necessarily to be the first, I know that there are certainly historical implications of my election,” Garcia said. “I’m in this to be mayor of everyone, no matter the age or the color of their skin or who they love.”

Garcia believes the city’s diversity is one of its assets. “We have one of the largest Cambodian communities outside of Cambodia, a large Latino community, a large LGBT population, and we have everyone. I really think that’s what makes Long Beach strong,” Garcia said.

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“Remembering the Artist: Robert De Niro, Sr.” from HBO

Robert De Niro shares the story of his father, an artist who lived an openly gay life as he struggled for recognition.

Via Out.com:

It’s been more than 20 years since Robert De Niro Sr.’s death from cancer, but his memory is fresh for his son, who has preserved his father’s final home and studio in New York City’s SoHo. Filled with books, paintbrushes, and hundreds of canvases, some of which he never finished, it looks like pop stepped away for a coffee and should be back to finish another still life before dinner. The loft remains a quiet shrine to an artist that few recognize, perhaps mistaking his figurative paintings for a late Matisse or another French master. “It was the only way to keep his being, his existence alive,” De Niro explains. “To me, he was always a great artist.”

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Video: Project One America from the Human Rights Campaign

I grew up in Texas, so I have an idea of what life is like in a southern, conservative state.  I left upon high school graduation only to return to visit family and friends occasionally.

Bless these folks for staying in their states and opening up a dialogue with neighbors.  It really is the answer to acceptance.  When “gay” or “lesbian” or “transgender” isn’t just a word that scares people, when it’s someone they know, evolution really does begin.

From the Human Rights Campaign:

HRC’s Project One America is a comprehensive, multi-year campaign to dramatically expand LGBT equality in the South through permanent campaigns in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas.

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Brookly Nets nab spot in playoffs with out Jason Collins

Beating the Houston Rockets at home last night by a score of 105-96, the Brooklyn Nets picked up a spot in the playoffs.  This was the Nets 14th straight win at home.

The win was particularly sweet as the Nets had not beaten the Rockets at home since 2003.

While direct credit can’t be attributed solely to openly gay Nets’ player Jason Collins,  the current winning streak certainly quiets skeptics who warned that a gay player would be a distraction and detrimental to a team’s performance.

And there you have it.  Out and winning.  That’s Jason Collins.

Got Nets!

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Michael Sam addresses the media at this year’s NFL Combine

Missouri defensive end Michael Sam addressed the media at the combine about being the first openly gay draft prospect in NFL history.

I think he handles himself extremely well in his first big brush with the press.  No question he handles this with class and star quality.

Talking to the media, Sam addressed the obvious issue in question – via USA Today:

“Oh, heck yeah, I wish you guys were just saying, ‘Hey, Michael Sam, how’s football going? How’s training going?’ I would love if you’d ask me that question,” he said, in his first public appearance since making his landmark announcement Feb. 9.

“But it is what it is. I just wish you guys would see me as Michael Sam the football player instead of Michael Sam the gay football player.”

An All-America selection as a senior with the Tigers in 2013, Sam told his college teammates he was gay before last season. Now he hopes to become the NFL’s first openly gay player, though he said he doesn’t feel like a trailblazer — “I feel like I’m Michael Sam.”