At the risk of opening a non-sports discussion - it is directly referenced in the linked article's title, after all - I'm glad that Russell is open-minded enough to embrace athletes that don't necessarily share his own proclivities. A real leader can take disparate people and form a championship unit. Like him or not, Phil Jackson did that here in Chicago and in LA. Pete Carroll and John Schneider did it in Seattle (talk about a team of oddballs and castaways!).
When I hear NFL athletes or coaches openly saying things like "gay people would be a distraction on our team," I only think "that man's not a leader. That's a team mindset that's destined to fail."
