Framingham State University will host John Amaechi, an organizational consultant and high-performance coach, as part of its President’s Distinguished Lecture Series Tuesday, Oct. 9.

Amaechi is best known for being the first former professional basketball player to come out as gay, following his retirement. He did so in his New York Times best-selling book Man in the Middle.

Amaechi will be speaking about the need for equality in athletics and in everyday life.

His free lecture, open to the public, starts at 7 p.m. in Dwight Hall Performing Arts Center onthe campus of Framingham State University.

Amaechi is an outstanding motivational speaker, who will be discussing diversity and inclusion in the global community and in the world of sports.

His presentation includes stirring personal accounts of his own life as an “out and proud” individual, his ascent to a professional basketball career after having started at age 17, and stories from his best-selling book Man in the Middle.

Born in Boston and raised in the United Kingdom, Amaechi has a unique perspective on globalism and how the world has changed and continues to change.

The President’s Distinguished Lecture Series was created in 2011 to bring scholars from across the country to the University for presentations on thought-provoking issues, ideas and theories. The theme of this year’s series is “Accepting Others: Finding Common Ground.”

Each of the four speakers has played a role in challenging stereotypes, breaking down social barriers and exploring important issues such as gender violence, racism and physical and mental disabilities.