Jason Collins has been invited by the White House to sit in the First Lady's box during the President's State of the Union address Tuesday night. It's a powerful nod to the LGBT sports community.

From the White House:

WASHINGTON, DC – The following individuals will be seated in the box with the First Lady, Dr. Biden and Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, at the State of the Union Address. More guests will be announced in the lead-up to the President's State of the Union Address Tuesday night. Information about these guests and news about the State of the Union is available at WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU.

While at Stanford, Jason Collins was selected as an All American, named the NCAA's "Big Man of the Year," and earned an appearance in the Final Four. After graduating in 2001, Collins was drafted into the NBA and has since played for six teams including the Celtics, whose then coach Doc Rivers said of Collins: "He's the best. He literally is one of the best guys I've ever had in the locker room, player or coach." In his 12 years in the league, Collins' teams earned 9 trips to the playoffs including 2 NBA Finals appearances. In April 2013, Collins became the first male player in major American team sports to come out openly as gay. The President expressed his gratitude to Collins for his courageous announcement through an article Collins penned himself. The President said he "couldn't be prouder" of Collins, recognizing this as a point of progress for the LGBT community, and one more step in America's goal to treat everyone fairly and with respect. Collins is 35 and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Here's Collins' PSA about the Affordable Care Act:

Jason Collins PSA: Out2Enroll (via Out2Enroll)


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