Players coming out have impact
Brittney Griner will always remember her first experience at a WNBA game.
She went to watch her hometown Houston Comets play when she was a kid and when the kiss cam turned to a lesbian couple, the fans started booing. The game operations people quickly took the camera off the couple.
As society has changed, so has the WNBA.
Many of the league’s top players, including several who will be playing in this weekend’s AllStar Game in Minnesota, have come out over the past few years — and it has not generated the headlines it once did. The players see themselves not as just basketball role models for young women but hope they are also making it easier for younger players who might be struggling with their sexuality.
WNBA players’ sexual orientation was rarely publicly discussed when the league was new, but now it is embraced and topics such as same-sex marriage and child care are commonplace.
“It helps so much when you have players on our level come out and tell our story,” said the 6foot-8 Griner, who came out when she turned pro. “I’ve had young girls who look up to us that haven’t told anyone about their sexuality tell me it’s made them feel more comfortable.”
Elena Delle Donne, a captain one of the AllStar teams, revealed before the 2016 Rio Olympics that she is gay. It was just one line in a story that mentioned her thenfiancee Amanda, whom Delle Donne has since married.
“It’s our times, the 2000s. It’s great to see,” she said.
“I’ve been gay my whole life and was fighting it, but it wasn’t something to be ashamed of. Love is love. It’s so great to see the change over the years of people being more comfortable with it.”
Diana Taurasi married former teammate Penny Taylor in 2017. The couple has a baby now and Taurasi has joked that each fine she gets for technical fouls is taking away from her son’s diaper fund. She also has talked about how important the league’s health insurance is for her family.
Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird, a record 11-time All-Star, decided this past season to publicly reveal she is dating soccer star Megan Rapinoe.
Bird, who is the WNBA’s career assists leader, credits Griner for helping pave the way.
“I saw the reaction [Griner] got and it helped me with my decision,” said Bird, who entered the WNBA at a time when the league did not openly support gay players.
Bird believes that she can help others by just sharing openly what her family and friends have known for years.
“That’s what makes it so important to come out. I didn’t see it that way at first,” Bird said.
“Again as my story goes, I felt like I was open. Everyone in my life knew. I just hadn’t had this conversation with a reporter. I understand now by saying it publicly you can have an impact.”