After spending eight years as former NBA player Jason Collins’ girlfriend, including a time as his fiance, Carolyn Moos says she is surprised and pained by his April revelation that he is gay. She says his coming out does not represent “true heroism.”
Collins became the first athlete in the four major American sports to admit he was gay, penning an article for “Sports Illustrated” detailing his struggle.
In the August edition of “Cosmopolitan,” Moos said that Collins, a long-time NBA player, told her about his sexuality the day the SI article was scheduled to hit newsstands. However, he did not tell her about the article.
“A month before I was set to marry the man I loved, he called off the wedding,” she told the women’s magazine. “I had no idea why. He and I had been together for eight years. We had planned to have children, build a family. Nearly four years later, I got my answer.”
Writing for Cosmopolitan, Moos says she found out about the Sports Illustrated article from a friend.
“I empathize with Jason and support him,” she writes. “But at the same time, I remain deeply hurt by him. I wish he could have been honest with me years ago. I feel like there are two Jasons now — the man I fell in love with and the man I’m trying so hard to understand. He’s being hailed as a pioneer, but I believe true heroism is a result of being honest with yourself and with those you love.”
She said she has not spoken with Collins since his announcement. She told TMZ in April: “I care about [Jason] tremendously and only want the best for him. I want Jason to be happy for a lifetime and stay true to who he really is, inside and out.”
In Cosmo, she writes, “I am sad that the media seems to be a higher priority. I hope this changes in the coming weeks, as I value open dialogue more than anything.”
Since coming out, Collins has taken a call from President Barack Obama; marched in Boston’s gay pride parade with Massachusetts Congressman Joe Kennedy III, his onetime roommate at Stanford University; and headlined the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender gala in Washington.
