Brittney Griner Comes Out

[Rudi]

I'm shocked:leake:

Brittney Griner, the No. 1 pick in Monday's WNBA draft, acknowledged Wednesday in interviews that she is gay.

Griner, a 6-foot-8, three-time All-America center during an illustrious career at Baylor, said she has previously talked about her sexuality, but this appears to be the first time she's discussed the matter publicly.

In a group interview with SI.com that included Elena Delle Donne and Skylar Diggins, the Nos. 2 and 3 picks in Monday's WNBA draft, the players were asked, in women's sports as opposed to men's, why athletes coming out is accepted.

"I really couldn't give an answer on why that's so different," Griner told SI.com. "Being one that's out, it's just being who you are. Again, like I said, just be who you are."

Griner said it doesn't matter what others might think of her or other gay athletes.

"Don't worry about what other people are going to say, because they're always going to say something, but, if you're just true to yourself, let that shine through. Don't hide who you really are," she said.

Griner also was asked by SI.com about the difficulty in coming out considering her stature as a prominent athlete.

"It really wasn't too difficult," she said. "I wouldn't say I was hiding or anything like that. I've always been open about who I am and my sexuality. So, it wasn't hard at all. If I can show that I'm out and I'm fine and everything's OK, then hopefully the younger generation will definitely feel the same way."

Griner finished her four-year Baylor career as the second all-time scorer in women's NCAA history with 3,283 points. She is the top shot-blocker ever, shattering both the men's and women's college marks with 748. She also had a record 18 dunks -- including 11 this season.

The Associated Press also interviewed Griner, Delle Donne and Diggins, and the topic of bullying was part of the discussion. Griner said she was "picked on for being different" while also acknowledging that she is a lesbian.

"Just being bigger, my sexuality, everything," she told the AP. "I overcame it and got over it. Definitely something that I am very passionate about. I want to work with kids and bring recognition to the problem, especially with the LGBT community."

Griner told USA Today the day of the draft that she's been guided by the advice of her parents, who gave her the courage to open up about being gay.

"My parents didn't know at the time," Griner told the newspaper. "I hadn't come out completely. It was kind of like, you know ... I just hadn't said it. My dad and my mom have always told me, 'Be who you are.' At the time, they probably weren't sure what I was interpreting that as," she said with a laugh.

SOURCE: ESPN

 

[Leftwich]

I read this earlier today. Didn't care then and don't care now.

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

mg2:

 

[Raidersabc123]

Shocker!

 

[Villain]

So this means that she can just be "one of the guys" if she were ever given a shot at the NBA, right?

 

[ralaw]

Why is the media trying to compare this to if a male athlete came out in a major sport? It is women's basketball, so it really is expected as a lot of female basketball players are homosexual and everyone knows it. It is women's basketball which not a lot of people really care about and finally it is Brittany Griner, so it was pretty obvious. If an athlete came out in the NBA, NFL, NHL or MLB it would be a huge story.

 

[JayDizzle]

This would be more of a story if she came out during Baylor's tourney runs.

As it stands, she's not going to make anymore of a paycheck or endorsement deals from this "revelation" anytime soon.

 

[NAHSTE]

Why is the media trying to compare this to if a male athlete came out in a major sport? It is women's basketball, so it really is expected as a lot of female basketball players are homosexual and everyone knows it. It is women's basketball which not a lot of people really care about and finally it is Brittany Griner, so it was pretty obvious. If an athlete came out in the NBA, NFL, NHL or MLB it would be a huge story.

Yeah - pretty sure Chamique Holdsclaw was openly lesbian her whole career, no? This is not new territory.

Media gonna media though.

 

[krulmichael]

Already thought she was a dude to begin with, now she just strengthened my argument even more.

Not that I give a shit either way.

 

[ram29jackson]

Already thought she was a dude to begin with, now she just strengthened my argument even more.

Not that I give a shit either way.

if she was a dude, she would have just been a realy good high school player-end of story.

 

[krulmichael]

if she was a dude, she would have just been a realy good high school player-end of story.

Or played in the women's league where it's easy to dominate because of "her" size.

 

[JimLeavy59]

if she was a dude, she would have just been a realy good high school player-end of story.

If she was a man her genetics would be a bit different but I would guess she would be faster and stronger and add to that the fact she has a 7'4'' wingspan which is more than Andrew Bynum. I think she would have been a 5 star prospect if she was born a man and choose to play basketball.

 

[ram29jackson]

like it or not , this another reason amoung many why womens pro basketball fails.

No parent wants to take their daughter to game where a bunch of gay females are in the stands kissing each other or anything.

And the Sparks held a promotion at a lesbian night club once, So figure it out.

 

[Villain]

:homieslol:

 

[JimLeavy59]

like it or not , this another reason amoung many why womens pro basketball fails.

No parent wants to take their daughter to game where a bunch of gay females are in the stands kissing each other or anything.

And the Sparks held a promotion at a lesbian night club once, So figure it out.

What?

 

[Villain]

No parent wants to take their daughter to game where a bunch of gay females are in the stands kissing each other or anything.

 

[ram29jackson]

If she was a man her genetics would be a bit different but I would guess she would be faster and stronger and add to that the fact she has a 7'4'' wingspan which is more than Andrew Bynum. I think she would have been a 5 star prospect if she was born a man and choose to play basketball.

no dumb ass, if she were male with her present skills. They wouldnt be good enough for major male sports.
if she had a sex change operation, it wouldnt improve her basketball game at all

 

[JimLeavy59]

no dumb ass, if she were male with her present skills. They wouldnt be good enough for major male sports.
if she had a sex change operation, it wouldnt improve her basketball game at all

:kuzzy:

 

[SuperKevin]

A friend of mine growing up had a sister who played briefly in the WNBA. She basically said the WNBA is like a giant lesbian dating pool where everyone hooked up. She claims she was cut by the Cleveland Rockers because she was uncomfortable in the locker room

 

[NAHSTE]

A friend of mine growing up had a sister who played briefly in the WNBA. She basically said the WNBA is like a giant lesbian dating pool where everyone hooked up. She claims she was cut by the Cleveland Rockers because she was uncomfortable in the locker room

Good article from about a year ago on how tolerance of lesbianism factors into CBB recruiting. There are certain coaching staffs which use the culture of other programs as a negative recruiting tool. It's definitely part of the "fabric" of the sport, and has been for a long time.