“Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it is a good place to start.” ~ Jason Collins ~ first active NBA professional to publicly announce he’s same gender loving
DEDICATION:
This post entry is published in posthumous appreciation, gratitude and as a tribute to Jason Paul Collins (2 December 1978 – 12 May 2026). May he rest in peace for all eternity.
“The door Jason Collins widely opened can never be shut again!” ~ Aaron Michael Peterson-Poladopoulos ~ ReNude Pride: Guys Without Boxers!
My thoughts:
Proverbial words of wisdom offered in a simple statement of fact by a man who had ability, skills and talent in his professional career. Essentially, a very basic truth: honesty is the best policy. The truth, especially about what and who we really are, may be criticized by others, but it can never be disproved. Honesty empowers and enables us.
I own who I am. I am same gender loving. I am gay. I am queer. I am a homosexual. I acknowledge and admit to being all of those labels. I know who I am. I know the truth.
My knowledge of the truth about myself empowers me to try to be the very best man that I can possibly hope to be. This knowledge also enables me to determine freedom and truth rather than restriction and dishonesty.
Jason Collins
The Late Jason Collins:
Jason Collins became the very first male professional basketball player to “come out” (announce) his sexual orientation while active in the National Basketball Association (NBA). His acknowledgement inspired a same gender loving (SGL) version of the NBA logo, shown below:
A colourful emblem that represents us being us! Not appreciated by everyone who’s a fan of the NBA but it definitely offers some “food for thought!”
Jason and his identical twin brother, Jarron, were born and grew up in Los Angeles, California. Jarron also played in the NBA.
His first professional team was Houston, Texas Rockets. He played throughout the USA including the New Jersey Nets, The Washington Wizards and his final season with the Brooklyn, New York Nets.
Prior to Jason’s coming out, he played in twelve (12) consecutive seasons in the NBA and impressed not only his fans but also his fellow professional athletes. Throughout his life he was dedicated to helping others in any way possible.
Jason came out as same gender loving on 29 April 2013 in Sports Illustrated magazine cover story. In May 2025, he married film producer Brunson Green.
On 11 September 2025, the NBA announced that Jason Collins was undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. On 11 December 2025, Jason revealed that he was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma. He died at home on 12 May 2026.
On 22 June 2026, it was announced that Jason would be posthumously awarded with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for his impact on GLBTQ+ visibility in professional sports at the 2026 ESPYS in July. The Arthur Ashe Award for Courage is given to a professional sportsperson who has made a difference beyond the field of play by fighting for what they value.
In announcing this honour, the NBA included that the award would be received by his twin brother, Jarron. Jarron’s confirmation added: “It is profoundly bittersweet but deeply meaningful to accept the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage on my brother’s behalf, celebrating a legacy of visibility, strength and love that will endure forever.”
Naked hugs!
Aaron and Roger/ReNude Pride: Guys Without Boxers!
Author’s Note: The next post entry here is planned for tomorrow, June 30, 2026, and the proposed topic is: “Bottoms-Up! June, 2026!”
Felipe Ferreira, gay model posing with his underarm fur!
Background:
Axilla (armpit or underarm) is the area of the human body directly under the joint where the arm connects to the shoulder. It also contains numerous sweat glands.
In humans, the formation of body odor happens primarily in the armpit. These odorant substances serve as pheromones, which play an important role relating to desire and to mating.
Hirsute axilla = hairy armpits, underarm fur.
Maschalagnia: A person who is physically and sexually attracted to armpit hair. Also known as hairy armpit obsession. Activities enjoyed with this fetish include licking and/or sniffing the underarms, kissing and/or sucking the fur and ejaculating on the partner’s armpits and/or chest area.
To read my previous posting related to men’s hairy underarms, please click the link below:
Kory Mitchell: raised arm to share his armpit hair!
Introduction:
The above photograph depicts one of many, all-time favourite gay porn actors, Kory Mitchell. He earned my admiration early on when he publicly acknowledged – long before it became accepted – his personal attraction to men’s hairy armpits! Even while in my early adolescence, I felt instant affiliation and identification with him and no longer felt so alien! His honesty, discovered while secretly reading one of my oldest brother’s gay pornographic magazines, bestowed this early distinction upon Mr. Mitchell!
In his interview, Kory didn’t mention the descriptive term maschalagnia. He just referred to his attraction to another man’s hairy armpits!
Photo-Essay: Maschalagnia:
Kory Mitchell: half-face and armpit hair!
The above reasoning is how Kory Mitchell, a fellow maschalagnia, has the distinct honour of being featured here twice!
I think the name of my oldest brother’s hidden gay magazine was Inches. The article on Kory Mitchell contained endless photos of his penis, which was both enlarged and pierced. I don’t recollect any pictures – in that article – of his underarm fur.
All that I clearly remember about that presentation are the couple of sentences when Kory admitted to being sexually enthralled with men’s hairy armpits – surrounded by pictures of his own pierced erection! This was the first time I ever saw pictures of a pierced penis and learned of a famous porn-star in love with hirsute axilla!
Gio Dell, gay model, escort, model, actor and hirsute axilla!
Gio Dell, Venezuelan-born and gay, is a model, escort and actor. His head is balding and his body hair is profuse! He proudly flashes his underarm fur whenever possible!
By the time my identical twin brother, Alex, and I reached 14 years old, we both knew for certain of our same gender love. My fascination with male body hair in general and underarm hair in particular was not shared by Alex. He accepted armpit and pubic hair, he was and still is very fond of a very clean and smooth appearances elsewhere.
Notation: In answer to that question lingering in the back of your mind: Yes! Alex and his partner are both bare practitioners! our oldest brother is gay and does, upon occasion, accompany us to a social nudity function. He also readily admits to noticing a man’s hairy underarms, whenever available.
Gay model, escort and sometimes porn actor, Gio Dell, pictured above, is public about his sexuality and his comfort with his preference for his nakedness. He owns no confirmation of maschalagnia even though he acknowledges being the attraction of many bisexual and gay men because of their obsession with his very hairy body, especially his armpits!
I can’t remember giving any special attention to armpits when I was younger. Once puberty began, and my own underarms started to produce a furry growth, that became the catalyst that “opened the door” to my personal addiction, appreciation and attraction to hirsute axilla – the pet name among same gender loving men (bisexual or gay). This also created my interest in basketball that continues today. I currently play on a gay men’s team in an adult league (recreational).
Jason Collins, openly gay and the first openly gay man to play in the NBA. He played on the Brooklyn Nets!
I enjoy actually playing the sport of basketball even though I was never skilled or talented enough to be qualified as an athlete for the official school team. My problem? I was always too distracted by all the player’s underarm fur! I couldn’t concentrate on the game itself! Maschalagnia madness!
Twin – that’s how we address and refer to one another – recalls that my maschalagnia “affliction” seems to have happened overnight: “One night you went to bed, naked and normal. The next morning, you woke up dancing around the room, excited because you were growing pubic and underarm hair! You only calmed yourself when you noticed that the same was happening to me!”
My personal favorite maschalagnia logo!
I am able to still remember the first time I was in a position to fondle and kiss the hairy underarms of a peer. A day that I thought would never arrive! I was solely focused on his armpit fur whereas my peer partner concentrated only on my pubic hair and what else is available down there! That was the first Valentine’s Day I ever spent bare and in bed with another male who was not family!
It’s funny and ironic how Valentine’s Day can ignite a memory from more than two decades ago! A pleasant thought but a weird circumstance!
A subtle sniff!
A brief return to the subject of pheromones covered briefly in the Background section above. I’ve often wondered, I know that humans masturbate in order to relieve sexual tension and to provide self-stimulation. The question then follows: when we inhale the aroma of our own body’s pheromones, does that enable a similar self-gratification experience and urge? Is this “scent of desire” that our underarms create affect only our potential partners? Are we immune to our own scent?
Pheromones enhance the joys of sexual intimacy and are acknowledged to increase the level of passion experienced during foreplay and the actual physical encounter.
Fellow maschalagnia, gay actor and director, Sean Xavier!
Sean Xavier (pictured immediately above) was the second openly gay porn-star – following Kory Mitchell, to my knowledge, to publicly admit to his attraction to and his preference to maschalagnia (in his interview, he actually used the term and explained what it meant to the reporter). It was his interview that introduced me to the term itself. Prior to Sean’s educating me, I’d always simply shared that I had a “fetish” for men’s underarm fur!
Sean confesses to shaving his body hair when he was younger and first entered the business. At the time, he didn’t know any better and did whatever anyone told him to do. Now, he states, that he’s experienced, mature, wiser and proud of himself and all of my body hair!
Maschalagnia apparently is gaining in popularity based on a trend reported in the gay adult film industry. This may partially be caused by the increase in the number of Caucasian gay men who are shaving or otherwise removing their own armpit and pubic hairs. I’m an educator, not a marketing analyst. I have no knowledge or understanding as to how these two factors determine the conclusion.
Colin Black, hairy armpit advocate!
The late gay adult film actor, Colin Black, (pictured above) was a very prominent advocate for “hairy armpits rights” inside the gay adult film industry. Prior to his suicide on April 22, 2016, Colin publicly triumphed the cause of all adult film actors, same gender loving and opposite gender loving men, the grow and/or to groom their underarm fur according to their own personal preferences. His arguments were based on individual choice for freedom and happiness as opposed to contract clauses, mandated by industry executives that required contractors to remove/shave all armpit and chest hair and groom pubic hair. He advocated the same argument in support of nudity in private. In 2012, he received the Hookie Award (gay pornography honour) for Best Boyfriend Fantasy. Colin Black: an early bare practitioner hero!
“Nudity quickly becomes unremarkable when generally practiced.” ~ Colin Black ~
Before I read a death notice for Colin Black, I had never known that a “hairy armpits rights activist” ever existed. Colin, of mixed racial heritage (African-American, Native-American and Korean) was known for his concern for the civil rights of all. He publicly defended the “natural rights” causes of armpit and pubic hairs and of the rights to nakedness!
When once questioned why he strongly worked in favour of pubic and armpit body hair, he said, “because those are the only two places on my body where it grows. I’m smooth everywhere else!”
Daymin Voss, very hirsute body and underarm fur proud!
Obviously, bare practitioner actor Daymin Voss (pictured immediately above) doesn’t have the problem of the lack of his armpit and body hair! His profusion is well appreciated and known to appeal to many!
As long as men continue to grow their armpit hairs; I’m personally content, happy and a proud maschalagnia devotee and enthusiast!
Naked hugs!
Roger Poladopoulos/ReNude Pride
Author’s Note: The next post entry for here is planned for Monday, February 20, 2023, and the proposed topic is: “Nightmare!”