Someday no one will care that a public figure is gay...and won't that be a great day?

Bill Kennedy, one of the NBA’s top referees, has revealed he is gay…. “I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man,” Kennedy told Yahoo Sports on Sunday night. “I am following in the footsteps of others who have self-identified in the hopes that will send a message to young men and women in sports that you must allow no one to make you feel ashamed of who you are.”…. NBA commissioner Adam Silver delivered a statement of support for Kennedy…. “I wholeheartedly support Bill’s decision to live his life proudly and openly,” Silver told Yahoo Sports in a statement. “Throughout his 18-year career with the league, Bill has excelled as a referee because of his passion, dedication and courage. Those qualities will continue to serve him well both as a game official and as a positive influence for others. While our league has made great progress, our work continues to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and dignity.”

Someday the news that someone in a prominent position has come out as gay will elicit a collective yawn. It will no longer matter who or how someone loves; it will matter only that they do love. A person’s private life will no longer be tabloid fodder, subject to the speculation of those with too much time on their hands and not nearly enough human decency. No one will care enough to refer to a person who happens to be gay with a homophobic slur. Kennedy came out after Sacramento Kings point guard Rajon Rondo, never renowned for his pleasant disposition and engaging demeanor, was ejected from a game Kennedy refereed. Rondo, among other things, insulted Kennedy with a particularly offensive homophobic slur. (That Rajon Rondo is quite probably the best gay porn name EVER is another discussion best left for another time.)

Someday we’ll all be able to deal with and treat people as human beings. We won’t be so concerned with their sexuality, religion, politics, and/or any other artificial descriptor. We won’t discriminate against someone who happens live, love, think, and/or believe differently. We’ll respect a person’s humanity and honor their authenticity and right to live the life they choose.

Clearly, we’re not there yet.

We should commend NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for quickly and emphatically issuing a statement in support of one of the league’s best officials, though I suspect Kennedy, while likely appreciating the gesture, probably found it unnecessary.

Someday, trolls adn homophobes like Rondo will be ostracized and pushed to the margins of society. Being an asshole is one thing, and Rondo has a reputation for being every bit of that. It’s quite another to be a bigot and a homophobe- yet another side of Rondo’s dysfunctional personality to emerge from his lizard brain.

Today, though, we still find ourselves fighting for equality and equal treatment…and it seems as far away as ever. Same-sex marriage may be legal from coast to coast, but as I heard one wag say, “I do doesn’t mean we’re done.” There are still far too many people far too obsessed with the sexuality and private lives of others…because their morality is superior to all others. Perhaps if these folks put half as much effort into examining their own lives….