Current WNBA player
Griner, who was selected as the first overall pick in April’s WNBA draft, will hit the court professionally this summer. During the post-draft hype, Griner sat down with the other top draft picks and talked openly about her sexuality. “Don’t worry about what other people are going to say,” Griner told ESPN, “because they’re always going to say something. If you’re just true to yourself, let that shine through. Don’t hide who you really are.”
Josh Dixon
Gymnast
Dixon is an accomplished gymnast who came close to qualifying for last year’s USA Olympic squad. He came out to his teammates in college and then to “Out” in 2012. “Being gay was something that I hadn’t figured out or experienced before. I think it was something that I didn’t want to take on. I realized I have an obligation, a responsibility to say, ‘It’s OK to be gay in our sport.’”
Wade Davis
Retired NFL player
Davis, who last played with the Seattle Seahawks, came out of the closet in 2011 after his football career ended. Asked what prompted his decision, he told the Huffington Post, “I started to realize that, you know what, there’s an opportunity here for me to really make and effect change, not only within myself but in the world.”
Sheryl Swoopes
Retired WNBA player, Olympic gold medalist and Loyola head coach
In 2005, after retirement, the four-time WNBA champion, three-time Olympic gold medalist and the first woman to get her own Nike shoe (“Air Swoopes”) talked about her then-girlfriend with ESPN: “My reason for coming out isn’t to be some sort of hero. I’m just at a point in my life where I’m tired of having to pretend to be somebody I’m not. I’m tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about, [the] person I love.” (In 2011, Swoopes got engaged to a man.)
More at the source: http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/04/9_lgbt_athletes_of_color_who_paved_the_way_for_jason_collins.html
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