“I’m gay.”

These two words still hold great significance in our world, but they are also being said with confidence a lot more often these days. These days, people seem to be less afraid of announcing their homosexuality than they were in years past as people have embraced them and treated them no differently than if they were straight.

Former University of Missouri Defensive Lineman Michael Sam, who hopes to play in the National Football League, announced to the public on February 9, 2014 that he is gay. The NFL seems to have prepared itself for gay players and have seemingly embraced Sam and have actually congratulated him for not hiding inside and letting the nation know who he is. But Sam isn’t the only athlete to announce his sexuality.

In the National Basketball Association, center Jason Collins came out of the closet early last year and was treated well, according to all reports. His family and teammates stuck by him and embraced him for being true to himself and not hiding behind curtains.

It’s not only males who have announced their homosexuality. In the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Grinner, an international role model who overcame a childhood of bullying and became a star at Baylor University before joining the WNBA, announced that she is gay as well. Again, she was treated fairly well by her peers and is still treated as a role model, and she actually gave her fans something more to look up to her about.

What these three examples show us about homosexuality is that it is not something to discriminate against. Just because boys or girls may be attracted to a member of their own sex does not mean that they are any less human than the very next person they see passing by. Homosexuality is not a thing to be ashamed of; rather, it should be embraced because it states in the U.S. Constitution that “Men are created equal.” Naturally this includes women as well but nevertheless, homosexuality should not be shunned simply because it is different than what the public is used to. It should be embraced as change. The world has changed, the U.S. has changed, and so have many sexual orientations. Change will always come, no matter what, and no matter when.