C'mon Son!: Steve Nash Supports Marriage Equality

In the wake of Phoenix Suns president and CEO Rick Welts' revelation that he is gay, Suns point guard Steve Nash has made a video in support of New York's marriage equality proposition.

"Hi I'm Steve Nash," he says in the video, produced by the Human Rights Campaign, a national organization leading the effort to legalize same-sex marriage in New York. "I spend my summers in New York and I love playing at the Garden. A growing number of professional athletes are speaking out in support of gay and lesbian couples getting married, I'm proud to be one of them. Join me and the super majority of New Yorkers who support marriage equality."

Nash had been considering appearing in the video for months. According to HRC vice president of communications Fred Sainz, the NBA star ultimately timed the release to support Welts and New York Rangers forward Sean Avery, who experienced a backlash among hockey fans after making a similar video. NHL player agent Todd Reynolds called Avery's support for the issue "misguided." Many anonymous commenters on message boards harshly criticized Avery for his support of the proposition, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo has advanced. Cuomo is hoping for a vote by legislators in June. read more - via ESPN

Pause on the NBA: Suns President Rick Welts Announces He's Gay

"If you wonder why it took 40 years for the highest-ranking gay NBA exec to come out of the closet, look no further than Kobe Bryant or Tim Hardaway.

It wasn't easy for Rick Welts, president and CEO of the Phoenix Suns, former president of the L.A. Dodgers, the second-ranking NBA executive, co-creator of the WNBA and NBA All-Star Weekend,  to come out.

This, in a  sport where Kobe Bryant called a referee a "faggot," and  where Tim Hardaway  proclaimed,  "I hate gay people."

Welts, handsome at 58, who got advice from longtime pal Bill Russell before revealing his secret to the world, thinks such moments of homophobia are anomalies in basketball.

"The rare occasions you're referring to have become teaching moments. It's more a conspiracy of silence than any outwardly hostile environment," Welts told The Daily News Monday.

"It's just a topic not really spoken about in our industry. It's kind of out-of-step with where our society is today." read more - - via NYDailyNews