Professional sports leagues in the U.S. have made strides to end discrimination based on sexual orientation. For instance, the National Hockey League has joined in promoting the You Can Play Project, an organization founded by former General Manager Brian Burke after his son, Brendan, came out and spoke against homophobia.

Today was a major day for the acceptance of sexual orientation, as Jason Collins, a National Basketball Association player, became the first active male professional athlete to announce they are gay while playing. This isn’t the first announcement by an active professional athlete that they are gay, however. Eleven days ago, Britney Griner, a center for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA who was drafted first overall, became the first active athlete to come out.

Both Collins and Griner have received support publically for their announcement.  NBA commissioner David Stern released in a statement, “As Adam Silver and I said to Jason, we have known the Collins family since Jason and Jarron joined the NBA in 2001 and they have been exemplary members of the NBA family. 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.”  Former President Bill Clinton  released the following statement, “ I hope that everyone, particularly Jason’s colleagues in the NBA, the media and his many fans extend to him their support and the respect he has earned.”

Through Collins’ and Griner’s courageous acts, hopefully more people will be willing to judge an athlete based specifically only on their athletic ability and character, not their sexual orientation.