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Jason Collins Honored by Gay Rights Group

The first openly gay NBA player receives Courage Award.

Jason Collins made history when he came out as the first openly gay player in the NBA, and ever since he made his announcement the support has been pouring in.

Now, GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) has given him their Courage Award. At GLSEN’s 10th annual Respect Awards in New York on Monday, Collins was introduced by NBA commissioner David Stern and another LGBT ground-breaker, gay high school linebacker Leo Washington.

"As I’m sure you can imagine, the past couple of weeks have been surreal," Collins said on the stage as he received the award. He thanked his fellow NBA players, "like Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neill, and my brother, Jarron Collins, for their immediate support when they took to Twitter."

During his introduction of Collins, NBA Commissioner Stern said, "When Jason Collins called me on Monday, April 29 to share his upcoming news, I told him what I would repeat now, and that is, he has the complete and total support of the entire NBA family."

For more on GLSEN's Respect Awards, check out the video below.













































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(Photo: D Dipasupil/Getty Images)

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