Obama told a White House news conference he spoke with Collins on Monday after the NBA free agent became -- via the pages of Sports Illustrated -- the first active player in any major US professional sport to come out as gay. <img alt="" src="http://images.mid-day.com/2013/may/obama.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 455px;" /> Barack Obama &ldquo;I told him I couldn&rsquo;t be prouder,&rdquo; Obama, who last year became the first serving president to declare his support for same-sex marriage, said at the tail end of a White House news conference. &ldquo;One of the extraordinary measures of progress that we&rsquo;ve seen in this country has been the recognition that the LGBT community deserves full equality,&rdquo; he added. For young people &ldquo;who are struggling&rdquo; with being gay or lesbian, the president added, it is a &ldquo;great thing&rdquo; for Collins to have come forward as a fearless role model they can look up to. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very proud of him, alright.&rdquo;

US President Barack Obama expressed pride yesterday after basketball center Jason Collins came out as gay, calling it a measure of the growing acceptance of homosexuality in American society

Barack Obama proud of gay NBA star

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Barack Obama proud of gay NBA star

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