Olympian Megan Rapinoe believes living
out is the best way to fight anti-LGBT discrimination.
At the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's
41st annual gala and auction in Los Angeles on Saturday,
Rapinoe was honored for her gay rights advocacy, receiving the
group's Board of Directors Award. Grammy-winning singer and
songwriter Estelle performed at the event.
The 27-year-old Rapinoe scored three
goals and four assists for the U.S. women's soccer team at the 2012
Summer Olympics held in London, England.
She announced her sexual orientation
shortly before heading to the Olympics in an interview with gay
glossy Out.
“The longer I've been out, the more
stories I've been able to hear from people,” Rapinoe
told Outsports.com. “People come up to me and say, 'You're the
reason I came out. You're the reason I realized I was gay.'”
“Coming out was sort of an
evolutionary process. I was like, why am I not out? I want to be
out and I don't have anything to hide. I'm very proud of who I am.”
“I think more people in general need
to come out,” she added. “Until that happens, we can't expect
all these barriers to be broken down.”