Cheryl Swopes, MVP
WNBA Star Opens Up About Being Gay:
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSNEW YORK (AP) -- Houston Comets forward Sheryl Swoopes is opening up about being a lesbian, telling a magazine that she's ''tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about.''
Swoopes, honored last month as the WNBA's Most Valuable Player, told ESPN The Magazine for a story on newsstands Wednesday that she didn't always know she was gay and fears that coming out could jeopardize her status as a role model.
''Do I think I was born this way? No,'' Swoopes said. ''And that's probably confusing to some, because I know a lot of people believe that you are.''
Swoopes, who was married and has an 8-year-old son, said her 1999 divorce ''wasn't because I'm gay.'' She said her reason for coming out now is merely because she wants to be honest.
''It's not something that I want to throw in people's faces. I'm just at a point in my life where I'm tired of having to pretend to be somebody I'm not,'' the 34-year-old Swoopes said. ''I'm tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about. About the person I love.'' ...
Swopes is one of the finest athletes and competitors I have ever seen in person. I had the honor of seeing her play many times when she starred for Texas Tech back in the early 1990s. I had the displeasure of seeing her frequently defeat the University of Texas Lady Longhorns. Sigh.
The only sad thing about this story is that she did not feel confident enough to come out when she was 18 (not that many people from Texas do). Back then, rumor has it, she rebuffed recruitment efforts from the Longhorns because she met a few lesbian players in Austin. Had it not been such a big deal, Swoopes might have led Texas to a couple of more National Championships and the world would be a better place.
But that's my thing. The important thing is that she is being strong and honest now. And she will inspire thousands of young women to be proud of themselves instead of ashamed.
Bravo.