Brittney Griner, the top pick in the
WNBA draft Monday night, has quietly come out publicly.
The Phoenix Mercury took the former
Baylor center star who has been twice named the AP Player of the
Year.
In comments to several media outlets,
Griner, 22, discussed her sexual orientation, apparently for the
first time.
“My parents didn't know at the time,”
she told USA
Today on Monday. “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.”
Sports Illustrated asked Griner
why gay women are more accepted in professional sports than gay men.
“I really couldn't give an answer on
why that's so different. Being one that's out, it's just being who
you are.”
“I've always been open about who I am
and my sexuality. So, it wasn't hard [to come out] at all. If I can
show that I'm out and I'm fine and everything's okay, then hopefully
the younger generation will definitely feel the same way,” Griner
added.