Nevius: Warriors president Rick Welts' coming-out journey shows how far we've come

Here’s a funny thing about Warriors president Rick Welts.

In 2011, when he came out, it was earthshaking.

This year, when he was invited in, not much was said.

I think that’s a good thing.

Welts famously announced he was gay on May 15, 2011. At the time, he was the most high-profile figure in professional sports to come out.

The New York Times, which cooperated with Welts on the announcement, considered the story such a bombshell that it was placed at the top of page one.

It was a sensation.

Every pundit with access to a keyboard had thoughts. And then the next day they had some more thoughts. We can discuss the pros and cons of what they said at the time - and I’ll bet some of them now wish they hadn’t - but it is not a stretch to say that Welts started a national dialogue.

“It is the most important thing I will ever do,” Welts has often said.

In fact, he said it again Sept. 7, in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was during his acceptance speech at his induction into the NBA Hall of Fame. He is, of course, the first member of the LGBT community in the Hall. He will not be the last.

And yet, no bombshell. No front-page story. No national dialogue. Pundits shrugged. First gay guy in the Hall of Fame. Check.

Don’t tell me LBGT perceptions in this country haven’t changed.

And don’t tell Welts. Not that he’s going to dwell on the difficult past. As usual, he takes the lighter view.

In fact, because he’s witty Rick Welts, he even has a funny story about telling his parents he was gay. After repeated questions from mom - “Are you having trouble meeting girls, Ricky?” - he finally told her.

There were tears and hugs. And then the next day they went through it with dad with more tears and hugs. And when things settled down his mother looked over at Rick.

“I don’t know why you were so worried,” she said. “Uncle Bob is gay.”

“Uncle BOB is GAY?” Welts says he replied. “Well, that might have been some useful information.”

Funny. But Welts is in his 60s, which means he has memories going back 30-40 years, when being gay was neither acceptable or, in some cases, forgivable.

He was in his 30s before he told his parents. At work he became adept at avoiding conversations about weekend plans. He lived through the HIV-AIDS crisis when no one knew who would be stricken. Or why.

“I kept a thermometer at my desk,” he said. “I took my temperature every day.”

Welts didn’t get HIV-AIDS. But his longtime partner did. In 1994, when he died of complications from the disease, Welts was devastated. But he only took a couple of days off. He told co-workers “a friend” had passed away. He felt he couldn’t let them know.

“You just didn’t know how it would affect you or your career,” he said. “It was unknown.”

Coming out, even in 2011, wasn’t easy or popular. He insists reaction to the announcement was overwhelmingly positive. But c’mon. You’ve read the internet. It had to be rough.

And it probably would have seemed like a lost cause if there hadn’t been a few glimmers of hope right away.

The night after Welts’ announcement, Kobe Bryant, angry with an official, called him “a f-ggot.” And if NBA players hadn’t gotten the message about not using gay slurs, they got a quick lesson from the NBA office.

Commissioner David Stern fined Bryant a stunning $100,000. And Bryant, recognizing the backlash, apologized.

“I think I cost Kobe $100,000,” Welts joked last week. “I should apologize at some point.”

No need to list the players who have come out since. There will be more. And eventually they will judged for their skills, not their sexual orientation.

As Welts has said, he was there - as was I - when women reporters were first allowed into the locker rooms where players were showering and getting dressed. It was a big uproar at first - security guards refusing to honor women’s press passes, knucklehead players shouting stupid stuff.

But eventually women reporters have became part of the scene. It’s no big deal. I’ll bet they’ll say there is still a long way to go, and point taken, but it is nowhere near what it was like in the Pleistocene Era.

Welts was inducted into the Hall as a “contributor,” with partner Todd Gage in the audience. When Welts mentioned Gage, and the camera zoomed in, it was impossible not to think of the distance we have come.

Technically, we are supposed to say that his contributions include the concepts of All-Star Weekend, the Dream Team and the WNBA. All true.

But c’mon. His real contribution was creating a safe space for people to stand and say who they are. And to see that when you do that, other people will have your back.

Now that’s a contribution.

Funny story. Back in 2011, when Welts told Stern he was going to come out, Stern was completely supportive. But Stern has said he might have been a little overoptimistic.

“There’s a good chance the world will find this unremarkable,” Stern says he thought.

OK. So wrong on that. It was huge news.

But now, fast-forward to the Hall of Fame. Right there in front of Larry Bird, Bill Russell and God, a gay man was invited into the Hall of Fame.

And the crowd stood and applauded.

Contact C.W. Nevius at cw.nevius@pressdemocrat.com. Twitter: @cwnevius