Magic Johnson stopped by The Ellen Degeneres Show on Wednesday to talk about his son EJ coming out, offering advice on what parents should do when they have a child who’s gay.
“I think it’s all about you not trying to decide what your daughter or son should be or what you want them to become,” the 57-year-old former NBA star said.
“It’s all about loving them no matter who they are, what they decide to do. And when my son came out, I was so happy for him and happy for us as parents. We love him. EJ is amazing. So you got to support your child, because there are so many people who try to discriminate against them, so they need you to support them. Because if you don’t support them, who is going to support them? And love them?”
Related: WATCH: Magic Johnson’s Son Hits Town With His Boyfriend — Dad Couldn’t Be Prouder
In April 2013, 24-year-old EJ Johnson made headlines by stepping out with another man in L.A. and holding his hand.
In a statement, Magic said to TMZ: “Cookie and I love EJ and support him in every way. We’re very proud of him.”
Later that month, EJ opened up about his sexuality on the YouTube talk show Gwissues, saying:
“I always wanted to come into the spotlight. I always had dreams and plans of doing my own thing and creating my own image, so it came a little sooner than I thought it would, but this is still something I knew I would be going through and would have to experience.
I am very, very, very blessed to have the family that I do. My parents have always been super supportive. My sister and I have always been really close and she’s been really supportive as with my brother. When it was time to come out, I was obviously scared as most people are. After I got all the love and support from my family, then I knew I could go out and conquer the world, I guess.”
Watch the segment below:
h/t: US Weekly
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throwslikeagirl
Two beautiful and loving men who are part of a beautiful and loving family. Heartwarming.
bobbyjoe
With so many awful people in the news these days, it’s strange how the simple humanity and love of Magic Johnson and his family here can come across as heroic.
Notright
Did you know research shows that gay men are happier and healthier when they are married? Check it out! https://gayinternationaldating.com/better-gay-men-married-study-shows/
tony-e
No offense, but if Magic and his wife didn’t know EJ was gay the had to be blind and deaf lol Seriously though, if more parents were like them, there wouldn’t be so many kids living on the streets. I do think, though, that Magic’s own issues are part of how he’s so supportive. We all remember how it was when he went public about his HIV status. The comments, the jokes, and then the Atlanta Olympics where teams literally forfeited games because they didn’t want to be on the court with him. Granted, they still didn’t know how hard it is to get infected during a basketball game at that point, but it was still like rubbing salt in a wound because of the fear they might get infected by bumping into him on the court