Jason Collins, the NBA free agent who
came out gay on Monday, explained that his younger twin brother
didn't know his sexual orientation because he's “really good at
playing it straight.”
Collins' coming out has been applauded
by President
Barack Obama, First
Lady Michelle Obama and former President
Bill Clinton.
(Related: NBA's
Jason Collins: First openly gay professional athlete.)
During on appearance Tuesday on Good
Morning America, Collins said that the first family member he
came out to was his aunt, who said she already knew.
“I have a special relationship with
my aunt. I love my parents and my brother and everyone else in my
family. But there's just something about the way that I get along
and just relate [with her],” Collins said.
“She had her suspicions about me, but
she was extremely supportive. Yeah, she's a judge in San Francisco,
so I guess she's good at reading people.”
When interviewer George Stephanopoulos
asked how was it possible that twin brother Jarron Collins didn't
know his older brother by 8 minutes was gay, Collins half-jokingly
answered: “I'm really good at playing it straight.” (The video
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