Jason Collins, the NBA player who came out as gay last week, is putting himself out there in the name of Democratic Party politics.
Collins will headline a May 29 fundraiser with first lady Michelle Obama and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz at the party's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Leadership Council gala event.
Collins, a free agent center who played for the Washington Wizards last season, became the first male athlete in one of America's four major team sports to declare that he is gay. He wrote aboutcoming out in a story for Sports Illustrated, and immediately received well-wishes from President Obama and former president Bill Clinton, among others.
The DNC and Wasserman Schultz, a Florida congresswoman, tweeted about the event on Monday. The party's LGBT Leadership Council aims to elect Democrats and highlight the contributions of gays and lesbians in politics.