Will other closeted athletes follow Carl Nassib's lead?

+ Supreme Court on student free speech; climate change at Yellowstone US Edition - Today's top story: Why it's such a big deal that the NFL's Carl Nassib came out as gay [View in browser]( US Edition | 24 June 2021 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Despite the widespread acceptance of LGBTQ people in the U.S., stubbornly few active athletes have come out of the closet. In America’s four major sports leagues, just two – Michael Sam and Jason Collins – come to mind. John Affleck, who has been practicing and teaching sports journalism for over 30 years, is well aware of the homophobia ingrained in sports. So when Carl Nassib, an established football player for the Las Vegas Raiders, revealed this week that he is gay – and was applauded by the league and his peers – [it represented a watershed moment for the hypermasculine NFL and fit a broader, if slow-moving, trend](. Also today: - [Why palm oil has become the world’s “most-hated crop”]( - [Who picks the next dalai lama?]( - [MacKenzie Scott: Not your typical billionaire philanthropist]( For Pride Month we’ve put together a series of email newsletters on transgender young people. The four emails, delivered over about a week, recap [a series of articles]( written by leading academics exploring the history, medical care and conflicts, such as youth sports, caused by the rising visibility of transgender teens in society. You can [sign up for the newsletters here]( or click the button below. [Subscribe]( Nick Lehr Arts + Culture Editor After Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out as gay, his jersey became a top-seller on Fanatics, an online retailer of sportswear. Ethan Miller/Getty Images [Why it’s such a big deal that the NFL’s Carl Nassib came out as gay]( John Affleck, Penn State The quest to combat discrimination against LGBTQ athletes has been long and fitful, particularly in male team sports. Politics + Society - [Schools must act carefully on students’ off-campus speech, Supreme Court rules]( Katy Harriger, Wake Forest University The Mahanoy v. B.L. ruling did not give schools or free-speech advocates the clear lines they may have wanted, but it did attempt to address some of the complexity of modern-day speech. - [Despite outrage, new state voting laws don’t spell democracy’s end – but there are some threats]( Derek T. Muller, University of Iowa Are the election law changes proposed in statehouses across the country really as bad as some say? 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Environment + Energy - [Yellowstone is losing its snow as the climate warms, and that means widespread problems for water and wildlife – a new report details the changes]( Bryan Shuman, University of Wyoming The area's iconic national parks are home to grizzlies, elk and mountain snowfall that feeds some of the country's most important rivers. The region is warming quickly. - [How palm oil became the world’s most hated, most used fat source]( Jonathan E. Robins, Michigan Technological University Palm oil is responsible for widespread deforestation and labor abuses, but it's also cheap and incredibly useful. That's why many advocates call for reforming the industry, not replacing it. 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