John Amaechi, once a star player for the Orlando Magic, is the first NBA player to ever publicly come out as a gay man. Now retired from basketball, Amaechi's unique story is detailed in his autobiography,  Man in the Middle just released by ESPN Books.

Now, Amaechi is an official spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign's Coming Out Project, a program designed to help gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people come out and live openly.

Amaechi is launching a nationwide tour to share his story and encourage conversation about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality.

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Kudos to John who, sadly, will not be bringing his tour to Pittsburgh.  He will be in Philly on March 10.  Other stops include DC, Atlanta, Dallas and New York. 

Huh.

I think a few appearances in Ohio, Nebraska, Missouri and North Dakota might reach people who are alienated a bit more than say in DC which has a thriving gay community.  But that's just me.  We have no basketball team here so I guess we're off the radar.  However, that also means we are off the hook for providing yet another new sports venue so perhaps its a wash.