Friday, May 3, 2013

5/3/2013: Full Citizenship for Hispanic Americans - 5/3/2013 - Puerto Rico Report | Obama and Peña Nieto Reaffirm Joint Cooperation - 5/2/2013 - Latin American Herald Tribune | Not Teaching English Causes High Jobless Rate in Puerto Rico - 5/3/2013 - Jeff Farrow | Is Puerto Rico Joining The Pot Legalization Parade Too? | NORML ... - 4/25/2013 - Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director | Professional Boxer Orlando Cruz Reminds Us He Came Out First - Queerty - 5/3/2013 | Matrimonio Gay en Puerto Rico 03/05/13 02:44 from Puerto Rico News - Video

» Obama: 'A new Mexico is emerging'
03/05/13 15:19 from CNN.com - World
President Barack Obama said Friday he came to Mexico to break down stereotypes between the United States and its neighbor to the south. 



» Obama Vows Immigration Reform During Mexican Visit
03/05/13 14:59 from Voice of America
U.S. President Barack Obama has vowed to reform the U.S. immigration system, which he says does not currently reflect American values and causes some people to "live in the shadows." Mr. Obama spoke to a group of mostly students Friday at M..



» President Barack Obama Visits Mexico, Costa Rica 
03/05/13 13:37 from Voice of America
President Obama held talks in Mexico City with new Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. He next plans to meet with Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla ahead of the Central American Forum on Sustainable Economic Development. 



» Economy gains 165000 jobs; jobless rate, 7.5% - USA TODAY
03/05/13 13:50 from Top Stories - Google News
Los Angeles Times Economy gains 165000 jobs; jobless rate, 7.5% USA TODAY Employers added a better-than-expected 165,000 jobs in April,, easing concerns that payroll growth may be slipping into a sustained midyear slump. The unemployment r..



» US Unemployment Rate is Lowest in 4 Years
03/05/13 12:50 from Voice of America
The U.S. economy added 165,000 jobs last month and the country's unemployment rate declined to the lowest level since 2008. The news helped push U.S. stock prices to new highs, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing above 15,000 and..



» Latino Unemployment Falls to 9 Percent As US Adds 165K Jobs - Fox News Latino
03/05/13 10:19 from latino - Google News
Latino Unemployment Falls to 9 Percent As US Adds 165K Jobs Fox News Latino And the unemployment rate fell from 7.6 percent to 7.5 percent, fueled in part by a 52-month low in Latino unemployment — 9.0 percent, down from 9.2 percent in Mar..



» U.S. Bulks Up Bomb to Combat Iran
03/05/13 14:16 from WSJ.com: World News
The Pentagon has redesigned its biggest "bunker buster" bomb with more advanced features intended to enable it to destroy Iran's most heavily fortified and defended nuclear site.



» Full Citizenship for Hispanic Americans
03/05/13 09:36 from Puerto Rico Report
Puerto Ricans in the United States sometimes get tired of being included and even featured in discussions of immigration reform. “We may be Hispanic,” the weary response goes, “but we've been citizens of the United States..

Photo: NY/NJ Port Authority: This beautiful picture of the WTC construction site represents the tenacity, courage and pride of thousands and thousands of hard working men and women who have worked 24/7 to rebuild the WTC site.

NY/NJ Port Authority: This beautiful picture of the WTC construction site represents the tenacity, courage and pride of thousands and thousands of hard working men and women who have worked 24/7 to rebuild the WTC site.


10:27 AM 5/3/2013

Full Citizenship for Hispanic Americans - 5/3/2013 - Puerto Rico Report

US Stocks Rise as Job Growth Tops Economist Forecasts - Businessweek - 5/3/2013 - Google News - Business

Washington Post's Profit Falls - 5/3/2013 - WSJ.com: Earnings

Trend Micro: Cyber crime up 40 percent in Latin America, Caribbean in 2012 - ZDNet - 5/3/2013 - caribbean - Google News

ANTIGUA-DRUGS-Criminals adopting new strategies in illegal drugs and money laundering activities - 5/3/2013 - CANANEWS

10 Authentic Desert Islands in the Caribbean - Huffington Post - 5/3/2013 - caribbean - Google News



8:46 AM 5/3/2013

Photo: EN PORTADA: Cinco barrios de San Juan, son los favoritos para vivir. Descubre cuáles son. http://bit.ly/134wVFm

EN PORTADA: Cinco barrios de San Juan, son los favoritos para vivir. Descubre cuáles son. http://bit.ly/134wVFm



Obama and Peña Nieto Reaffirm Joint Cooperation - 5/2/2013 - Latin American Herald Tribune


Not Teaching English Causes High Jobless Rate in Puerto Rico - 5/3/2013 - Jeff Farrow


Is Puerto Rico Joining The Pot Legalization Parade Too? | NORML ... - 4/25/2013 - Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director


Professional Boxer Orlando Cruz Reminds Us He Came Out First - Queerty - 5/3/2013



Punishing Vieques: Puerto Rico Struggles With Contamination 10 Years After Activists Expel U.S. Navy - 5/2/2013


Are LGBTs The Bargaining Chip In Immigration Reform Negotiations? - 5/3/2013 - JohnGallagh




» Gregory Miraglia, Gay Police Officer, On Keeping His Sexuality A Secret For ... - Huffington Post
03/05/13 02:28 from puerto rican community in new york - Google News
Gregory Miraglia, Gay Police Officer, On Keeping His Sexuality A Secret For ... Huffington Post History was made in October when active professional featherweight boxer <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/04/orlando-cruz-come..


» May First Fridays event will focus on Latino Heritage - The Daily Telegram
03/05/13 00:18 from latino - Google News
May First Fridays event will focus on Latino Heritage The Daily Telegram This month's First Friday event in downtown Adrian will focus on Latino heritage in Lenawee County. First Friday activities begin at 5 p.m. Friday, May 3, and wil..



» US seeks data on account holders at Caribbean bank - USA TODAY
02/05/13 21:55 from caribbean - Google News
US seeks data on account holders at Caribbean bank USA TODAY MIAMI (AP) — U.S. taxpayers who stashed money in one of the Caribbean's largest banks without telling the Internal Revenue Service could be in trouble. The U.S. government ha..


Photo: [Ahora] Designan a nuevo presidente interino en la Universidad de Puerto Rico. El Dr. José Lasalde ocupará la silla de Miguel Muñoz
[Ahora] Designan a nuevo presidente interino en la Universidad de Puerto Rico. El Dr. José Lasalde ocupará la silla de Miguel Muñoz

» New president to lead Puerto Rico university board amid flurry of resignations - Vancouver Sun
02/05/13 19:39 from puerto rico - Google News
New president to lead Puerto Rico university board amid flurry of resignations Vancouver Sun The new board of the University of Puerto Rico on Thursday appointed Jorge Sanchez as president. Sanchez is a dermatologist who has held several p..


» New president to lead University of Puerto Rico amid flurry of resignations - Calgary Herald
02/05/13 17:00 from puerto rico - Google News
New president to lead University of Puerto Rico amid flurry of resignations Calgary Herald SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - A new president has been appointed to oversee Puerto Rico's largest public university after several top officials resign..



Indications: Stock futures on the fence ahead of jobs data - 5/3/2013 - MarketWatch.com - Top Stories – Sponsored by: CyberTrader


Commentary: The agony of Caribbean travel re-visited - 5/2/2013 - Caribbean News Now!: The source for news throughout the Caribbean



» Matrimonio Gay en Puerto Rico
03/05/13 02:44 from Puerto Rico News - Selected Feeds
Matrimonio Gay en Puerto Rico Actualmente, la Asamblea Legislativa de Puerto Rico discute, como parte de la revisión del Código Civil, la posibilidad de concederles algunos derechos y res... From: Sergio Rodriguez Lorenzo Views: 5 3 rating..



Thursday, May 2, 2013

Obama Meets With Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto 02/05/13 21:17 from NYT > International | Capriles challenges Venezuelan vote - 5/2/2013 - BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean | New president to lead University of Puerto Rico amid flurry of resignations - Vancouver Sun - 5/2/2013 - puerto rico - Google News | Stocks Bounce Back - 5/2/2013 - WSJ.com: What's News US | Jobs data mixed in PR metro areas - 5/2/2013 - Puerto Rico News - Selected Feeds | NiLP FYI: Puerto Rican Nationalism and Statehood « Puerto Rico ... - 7/28/2009 - escalona | Man Dies After Shots Fired At Texas Airport - 5/2/2013

» Obama Meets With Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto
02/05/13 21:17 from NYT > International
President Obama meets with President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico, as both leaders seek shift attention from security issues to the vast economic relationship between the two nations.


Capriles challenges Venezuelan vote - 5/2/2013 - BBC News - Latin America &amp; Caribbean


New president to lead University of Puerto Rico amid flurry of resignations - Vancouver Sun - 5/2/2013 - puerto rico - Google News

Stocks Bounce Back - 5/2/2013 - WSJ.com: What&#39;s News US


Jobs data mixed in PR metro areas - 5/2/2013 - Puerto Rico News - Selected Feeds

02 May ' 10:21

Jobs data mixed in PR metro areas

Unemployment fell in six of Puerto Rico’s eight metropolitan statistical areas i ...



NiLP FYI: Puerto Rican Nationalism and Statehood « Puerto Rico ... - 7/28/2009 - escalona


Munoz Marin on the absurdity of independence - 5/2/2013 - (author unknown)


Why Pierluisi's bill will get the statehood movement nowhere - 5/2/2013 - (author unknown)


NBA veteran center Jason Collins comes out as gay - WGCL Atlanta - 4/29/2013 - (author unknown)

By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Sports Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - With the simplest of sentences, NBA veteran Jason Collins set aside years of worry and silence to become the first active player in one of four major U.S. professional sports leagues to come out as gay.
In a first-person article posted Monday on Sports Illustrated's website, Collins begins: "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay."
Collins has played for six teams in 12 seasons, most recently as a reserve with the Washington Wizards after a midseason trade from the Boston Celtics. He is now a free agent and wants to keep playing in the NBA.
"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,'" Collins writes. "If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand."
Saying he had "endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie," Collins immediately drew support for his announcement from the White House - President Barack Obama called him - along with former President Bill Clinton, the NBA, current and former teammates, a sponsor, and athletes in other sports.
Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant tweeted that he was proud of Collins, writing: "Don't suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others," followed by the words "courage" and "support."
"We've got to get rid of the shame. That's the main thing. And Jason's going to help that. He's going to help give people courage to come out," said Billie Jean King, a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame who confirmed she was gay after being outed in the early 1980s.
"I guarantee you he's going to feel much lighter, much freer. The truth does set you free, there's no question. It doesn't mean it's easy. But it sets you free," King said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.
The Wizards, whose season ended April 17, issued a statement from President Ernie Grunfeld: "We are extremely proud of Jason and support his decision to live his life proudly and openly. He has been a leader on and off the court and an outstanding teammate throughout his NBA career. Those qualities will continue to serve him both as a player and as a positive role model for others of all sexual orientation."
Collins' coach with the Celtics, Doc Rivers, drew a comparison between Monday's announcement and Jackie Robinson's role when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
"I am extremely happy and proud of Jason Collins. He's a pro's pro. He is the consummate professional and he is one of my favorite 'team' players I have ever coached," Rivers said. "If you have learned anything from Jackie Robinson, it is that teammates are always the first to accept. It will be society who has to learn tolerance."
Collins says he quietly made a statement for gay rights even while keeping his sexual orientation a secret. He wore No. 98 with the Celtics and Wizards - 1998 was year that Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Wyoming, was killed, and the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization, was founded.
According to the General Social Survey, the public has grown increasingly accepting of gay relationships since the late 1980s. That survey found in 1987 that 76 percent of Americans thought sexual relations between adults of the same sex was morally wrong. That fell to 43 percent by 2012.
"I'm glad I'm coming out in 2013 rather than 2003. The climate has shifted; public opinion has shifted," Collins writes. "And yet we still have so much farther to go. Everyone is terrified of the unknown, but most of us don't want to return to a time when minorities were openly discriminated against."
While some gay athletes have talked in the past about concerns that coming out would hurt their earning potential, 12-time Grand Slam singles champion King said she thinks Collins' openness could have the opposite effect.
"I have a feeling he's got a whole new career," King said. "I have a feeling he's going to make more in endorsements than he's ever made in his life."
Sports equipment maker Nike released a statement Monday saying: "We admire Jason's courage and are proud that he is a Nike athlete. Nike believes in a level playing field where an athlete's sexual orientation is not a consideration."
On Monday evening, hours after his story appeared on the web, Collins wrote on Twitter: "All the support I have received today is truly inspirational. I knew that I was choosing the road less traveled but I'm not walking it alone."
Momentum has been building toward this sort of announcement from a pro athlete in a top league in the United States. NFL players Brendan Ayanbadejo and Chris Kluwe were outspoken in support of state gay-marriage amendments during last year's elections. Obama spoke about his support for gay marriage during his re-election campaign.
The topic made waves during Super Bowl week when one player, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver, said he wouldn't welcome a gay member of his team. At the time, Ayanbadejo estimated that at least half of the NFL's players would agree with what Culliver said, at least privately.
Scott Fujita, who recently retired after an 11-year NFL career, said: "I'm pleased to see such an overwhelmingly positive reaction to this news, because it just shows that we're becoming more accepting every day. But more than anything else, I'm happy for Jason. I'm not a gay, closeted athlete, so I can't pretend to know what that must have felt like for him. But I imagine this is freeing for him, and hopefully he's encouraged by the millions of people who are voicing their support. ... It's not a reaction to some rumor and it's not some unwanted outing. It's his message, and it was delivered under his control and on his terms."
On Monday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to teams reiterating the league's anti-discrimination policy about sexuality. It includes a section on questions teams cannot ask prospective draft picks and free agents. After the NFL combine in February, three players said officials posed questions about sexual orientation.
Earlier this month, the NHL and its players' union partnered with an advocacy organization fighting homophobia in sports, and Commissioner Gary Bettman said the You Can Play Project underlines that "the official policy of the NHL is one of inclusion on the ice, in our locker rooms and in the stands."
"I would say the NHL has been a force to kind of obviously embrace and encourage. ... What (Collins) did, I think it's definitely (good) for basketball, and the same for hockey, too. It's going to be encouraging for more guys to step up and just be open about themselves," Washington Capitals forward Joel Ward said.
Living in the nation's capital last month while the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about same-sex marriage had an effect on Collins, who says "the strain of hiding my sexuality became almost unbearable" at that time.
"Less than three miles from my apartment, nine jurists argued about my happiness and my future. Here was my chance to be heard, and I couldn't say a thing," he writes. "I didn't want to answer questions and draw attention to myself."
After being a first-round draft pick in 2001, Collins has averaged 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds for the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Celtics and Wizards.
In his SI piece, he jokes self-effacingly about his journeyman career and a parlor game known as "Three Degrees of Jason Collins."
"If you're in the league, and I haven't been your teammate, I surely have been one of your teammates' teammates. Or one of your teammates' teammates' teammates," he writes.
Never a star, he acknowledges, "I take charges and I foul - that's been my forte. ... I set picks with my 7-foot, 255-pound body to get guys like Jason Kidd, John Wall and Paul Pierce open. I sacrifice myself for other players."
He continues: "I go against the gay stereotype, which is why I think a lot of players will be shocked: That guy is gay? But I've always been an aggressive player, even in high school. Am I so physical to prove that being gay doesn't make you soft? Who knows? That's something for a psychologist to unravel."
As for what response other NBA players will have to his revelation, Collins writes: "The simple answer is, I have no idea."
"Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it's a good place to start. It all comes down to education. I'll sit down with any player who's uneasy about my coming out," he says in his account, adding: "Still, if I'm up against an intolerant player, I'll set a pretty hard pick on him. And then move on."
On Monday, there was an outpouring of positive sentiments.
In texts to the AP, Wizards guard Garrett Temple wrote, "I was surprised. I didn't know and I was right next to him in the locker room. It definitely took a lot of courage for him to come out. He was a great teammate," and rookie Bradley Beal said: "I didn't know about it! I don't think anyone did! I am proud of his decision to come out and express the way he feels and I'm supportive of that!!"
Former teammate Jerry Stackhouse, now with the Brooklyn Nets, wrote in a text: "I hope Jason is received well by our NBA family. Jason is a friend and a former teammate that I've enjoyed many laughs and conversations with and his sexual orientation won't change that with me. I've already reached out to him personally to show support and will encourage more guys to do the same."
NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement: "Jason has been a widely respected player and teammate throughout his career and we are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important issue."
While Collins is the first male athlete in a major North American professional league to come out while intending to keep playing, several have previously spoken after they retired about being gay, including the NBA's John Amaechi, the NFL's Esera Tuaolo and Major League Baseball's Billy Bean.
"I think he is immensely brave. I think it's a shame in this day and age he has to be immensely brave, but he is," Amaechi told the AP. "He's going to be a remarkable and eloquent spokesperson for what it is to be a decent, authentic human being - never mind just for gay people."
Rick Welts, president and chief operating officer of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, is openly gay.
"He probably knows what he signed up for. There'll be a whole bunch more television reporters and cameras than he's probably had in the past. ... There had been a long of speculation about when, who, how. I think that speculation has been put to rest now," Welts said, "and we'll always remember that Jason Collins was the first man to do this."
Collins says that if he remains in the NBA, he could face uncomfortable reactions from spectators.
"I don't mind if they heckle me. I've been booed before. There have been times when I've wanted to boo myself. But a lot of ill feelings can be cured by winning," he writes.
He adds: "I hope fans will respect me for raising my hand. And I hope teammates will remember that I've never been an in-your-face kind of guy. All you need to know is that I'm single. I see no need to delve into specifics."
In February, former U.S. soccer national team player Robbie Rogers said he was gay - and retired at the same time. Rogers is just 25, and others have urged him to resume his career.
"I feel a movement coming," he tweeted after word of Collins' news broke.
Female athletes have found more acceptance in coming out; Brittney Griner, a two-time AP women's college basketball player of the year now headed to the WNBA, caused few ripples when she said this month she is a lesbian. Tennis great Martina Navratilova, who came out decades ago, tweeted Monday that Collins is "a brave man."
"1981 was the year for me - 2013 is the year for you," her post added.
Sports leagues in Britain and elsewhere in Europe have been trying to combat anti-gay bias. But the taboo remains particularly strong in soccer, where there are no openly gay players in Europe's top leagues. Homophobic chants are still heard at some games.
Soccer "is not going to change," said Amaechi, who is English and now lives in Manchester. "If it wanted to change, it would change. It has the resources to do so. It doesn't want to change."
Justin Fashanu is the only significant British soccer player to have come out publicly, doing so in 1990. The former Nottingham Forest and Norwich City striker was found hanged in a London garage in 1998 at age 37. According to an inquest, Fashanu left a note saying that, because he was gay, he feared he wouldn't get a fair trial in the United States on sexual assault charges. Maryland police were seeking him on charges that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old boy.
Among other athletes outside the U.S. to come out was Gareth Thomas, a Welsh rugby star who attracted widespread media attention in 2009 when he announced he was gay. He continued playing until retirement in 2011.
Orlando Cruz of Puerto Rico came out in October as the first openly gay professional male boxer. Canadian swimmer Mark Tewksbury came out six years after winning a gold medal in the backstroke at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Four-time Olympic diving gold medalist Greg Louganis of the U.S. revealed he was gay in 1994, a year before announcing he was also HIV-positive. Former Olympic skiing gold medalist Anja Paerson of Sweden announced last year, after retiring, that she was in a long-term relationship with a woman.
In SI, Collins recounts that the first relative he came out to was his aunt, Teri Jackson, a San Francisco Superior Court Judge.
"I don't think Jason looked at his life as being a trailblazer," Jackson said Monday.
"He has no regrets coming out," she added. "And he wants to play. And we'll see what happens next."
White House spokesman Jay Carney called Collins' decision courageous and said the administration views it as another example of progress and evolution in the U.S. as Americans grow more accepting of gay rights and same-sex marriage.
Former President Clinton said: "Jason's announcement today is an important moment for professional sports and in the history of the LGBT community. It is also the straightforward statement of a good man who wants no more than what so many of us seek: to be able to be who we are; to do our work; to build families and to contribute to our communities. For so many members of the LGBT community, these simple goals remain elusive."
Collins attended Stanford with Clinton's daughter Chelsea and played in a Final Four while at the school. His twin brother, Jarron, was also a longtime NBA center who last played in the league in the 2010-11 season. Collins says he told his brother he was gay last summer.
"He was downright astounded. He never suspected. So much for twin telepathy," Collins writes in SI. "But by dinner that night, he was full of brotherly love. For the first time in our lives, he wanted to step in and protect me."
Advocacy organization GLAAD released a statement from Aaron McQuade, the head of its sports program.
"Courage' and 'inspiration' are words that get thrown around a lot in sports, but Jason Collins has given both ideas a brand new context," he said. "We hope that his future team will welcome him, and that fans of the NBA and sports in general will applaud him. We know that the NBA will proudly support him, and that countless young LGBT athletes now have a new hero."
As a senior at Stanford, Collins was a college roommate for about six months with then-sophomore Joe Kennedy III, who now represents Massachusetts in Congress. In his account, Collins writes that he realized he needed to go public when the Democratic congressman walked in Boston's gay pride parade last year - and Collins decided he couldn't join him.
"I didn't doubt for a second, knowing he was gay, that he would be the one to do it," Kennedy told the AP on Monday. "I've never known him to look for publicity, or to look for the spotlight, but given that no one else would raise their hand, I knew he would do it."
Added Kennedy: "I'm so proud of him. And I'm so proud to call him a friend."
In Monday's story, Collins writes that the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15 "reinforced the notion that I shouldn't wait for the circumstances of my coming out to be perfect. Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?"
And now, Collins and Kennedy say, they will be in Boston on June 8, marching together at the city's 2013 gay pride parade.
"Some people insist they've never met a gay person. But Three Degrees of Jason Collins dictates that no NBA player can claim that anymore. Pro basketball is a family. And pretty much every family I know has a brother, sister or cousin who's gay," Collins concludes. "In the brotherhood of the NBA, I just happen to be the one who's out."
___
AP Sports Writers Joseph White, Nancy Armour, Larry Lage, Brian Mahoney, Antonio Gonzalez, Rachel Cohen, Paul Newberry, Jimmy Golen, Howard Ulman, Rob Harris, Steve Wilson, Richard Rosenblatt and Tom Withers, and Associated Press Writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Cara Rubinsky, Jennifer Agiesta, Steve Peoples, Josh Lederman and Terry Chea contributed to this report.
___
Howard Fendrich is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.




Man Dies After Shots Fired At Texas Airport - 5/2/2013

3 key topics for Obama in Mexico - 5/2/2013 - CNN.com - World

3 key topics for Obama in Mexico - 5/2/2013 - CNN.com - World

Is U.S. Influence Waning In Latin America? - 5/2/2013 - The Miami Herald

Obama To Make Immigration Top Priority During Visit To Mexico - 5/2/2013

Obama to discuss trade in Mexico - 5/2/2013

Before Jason Collins, the gay atheletes who have come out - Alamogordo Daily News - 4/30/2013


Before Jason Collins, the gay atheletes who have come out
AlamogordoNews.com
Even before Jason Collins, plenty of other athletes around the world have come out as gay, either while still active or in retirement.
From Martina Navratilova to Greg Louganis to Sheryl Swoopes, men and women from a variety of sports have openly acknowledged their sexuality, though many others are believed to still be reluctant to come forward.
Collins, a 34-year-old NBA veteran, became the first active player in the four major American professional sports to come out as gay, writing a first-person account posted on Sports Illustrated's website Monday. Collins has played for six teams in 12 seasons, including this past season with the Washington Wizards, and is now a free agent.
"It is hugely powerful when any individual in the sports world, wherever they come from in the world, feels able to come out," said Ruth Hunt, deputy chief executive of the British gay rights organization Stonewall. "The fact that this is a current player adds to the strength of his statement."
Previously, some pro sports athletes waited until after quitting to say they were gay, including former NBA player John Amaechi and former NFL running back Dave Kopay. English soccer player Justin Fashanu committed suicide in 1998, eight years after coming out during his playing career.
Amaechi, a center who played five seasons with four teams, became the first NBA player to publicly come out in 2007, three years after the Englishman's playing career was over. He said Collins spoke with him before deciding to come out and called his decision "ground-breaking" and one that could encourage other gay athletes to follow suit.
"I'm getting tons of messages right now from people talking to me about him, about what he's done," Amaechi told The Associated Press. "I've spoken to a couple of college athletes in the States and a couple of high school athletes who are very good who have been immensely buoyed by this news.
"They feel a weight lifted off them even if they aren't out and they aren't going to come out at this point."
Sports leagues in Britain and elsewhere in Europe have been trying to combat anti-gay bias. But the taboo remains particularly strong in soccer, where there are no openly gay players in Europe's top leagues. Homophobic chants still occur at some games.
"Football is not going to change," Amaechi said. "If it wanted to change it would change. It has the resources to do so. It doesn't want to change."
Amaechi said he has been in touch with soccer players, including in the English Premier League, who are gay but are not ready to go public.
"Many of them are out already," he said. "They are out in the way that most people are out in that people they love and that people who care about them know that they are gay. But random strangers don't know that they are gay."
Fashanu remains the only top-level British soccer player to have come out publicly, acknowledging he was gay in 1990. The former Nottingham Forest and Norwich City striker was found hanged in a London garage at age 37.
According to an inquest, Fashanu left a note saying, because he was gay, he feared he wouldn't get a fair trial in the United States on sexual assault charges. Maryland police were seeking him on charges that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old boy after a party at his apartment.
Robbie Rogers, a former U.S. national team player who played for Leeds in England's second-tier division last season, went public in February that he was gay, saying on his personal website that "I realized I could only truly enjoy my life once I was honest." He also said he was retiring from the sport.
Anti-gay sentiment in soccer has been expressed in different ways.
Last year, Italy forward Antonio Cassano said he hoped there were no homosexual players on the national team and used a derogatory word to describe gays. Fans of two-time defending Russian champion Zenit St. Petersburg signed a petition saying gay players were "unworthy of our great city." Marcello Lippi, Italy's World Cup winning manager, caused a stir in 2009 when he said he had never come across a gay player and would advise gay players to stay in the closet.

"The NBA is light years ahead of football, there is no doubt about that," Amaechi said.
In the U.S., Kopay, who played for five NFL teams over 10 years, was the first pro athlete to acknowledge his homosexuality publicly when he came out in 1977 after retiring, and wrote a book about it.
Four-time diving gold medalist Louganis revealed he was gay in 1994, a year before announcing he was also HIV-positive.

Swoopes, a WNBA star and three-time Olympic gold medalist, disclosed in 2005 that she was gay.
In tennis, women's greats Navratilova and Billie Jean King came out about their sexuality. Former French player Amelie Mauresmo also spoke about her sexual orientation.

U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe came out before she played in last year's London Olympics. WNBA star Seimone Augustus and the league's No. 1 draft pick, Brittney Griner, are some of the more recent female athletes to follow suit.
Glenn Burke, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland A's in the 1970s, and Billy Bean, a utility player in the 1980s and 1990s, disclosed they were gay after retiring. Burke died of complications due to AIDS in 1995.
Gareth Thomas, a Welsh rugby star, attracted widespread media attention in 2009 when he announced he was gay; he played until he retired in 2011.
"I was like a ticking bomb. I thought I could suppress it, keep it locked away in some dark corner of myself, but I couldn't. It was who I was, and I just couldn't ignore it any more. I'd been through every emotion under the sun trying to deal with this," Thomas said in a recent documentary broadcast on British television.

Orlando Cruz of Puerto Rico came out in October as pro boxing's first openly gay fighter, saying, "I don't want to hide any of my identities. I want people to look at me for the human being I am."


Canadian swimmer Mark Tewksbury came out as gay six years after winning a gold medal in the backstroke at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Former Olympic skiing gold medalist Anja Paerson of Sweden announced last year after her retirement that she was in a long-term relationship with a woman. Australian diver Matthew Mitcham came out as gay before he won the men's 10-meter platform gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.


Gay athletes have come out while active or retired - Pekin Daily Times - 5/1/2013



A Rising Marijuana Reform Tide at the Statehouses [FEATURE] - Drug War Chronicle - 5/1/2013 - (author unknown)



Obama Addresses Jason Collins During Press Conference: 'I Couldn't Be Prouder' - Huffington Post - 4/30/2013

Former student recants sex allegations against victim Vincent Pravata, pleads guilty to his murder - 5/2/2013 - Steve Rothaus


Key issues on Obama's Mexico trip: Trade, immigration and drug war

By Catherine E. Shoichet and Cindy Y. Rodriguez, CNN
May 1, 2013 -- Updated 2034 GMT (0434 HKT)
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and U.S. President Barack Obama shake hands at a meeting in Washington last year.