WNBA star Sue Bird out as gay, says she’s datg USWNT’s Megan Rapoe - The Washgton Post

Contents:

• SUE BIRD CONFIRMS SHE'S GAY, DATG SOCCER STAR MEGAN RAPOE
• SUE BIRD AND MEGAN RAPOE FED THE NCEPT OF A GAY SPORTS POWER UPLE
• WNBA’S SUE BIRD SAYS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL IS LS POPULAR THAN SOCCER BEE THEY’RE BLACK AND GAY
• I CRIED WHEN SUE BIRD TOLD THE WORLD SHE'S GAY
• WNBA STAR SUE BIRD OUT AS GAY, REVEALS SHE’S DATG U.S. SOCCER PLAYER MEGAN RAPOE
• WNBA STAR SUE BIRD OUT AS GAY, SAYS SHE’S DATG USWNT’S MEGAN RAPOE
• WNBA LEGEND SUE BIRD: 'I'M GAY,' AND U.S. SOCCER STAR MEGAN RAPOE IS MY GIRLIEND

SUE BIRD CONFIRMS SHE'S GAY, DATG SOCCER STAR MEGAN RAPOE

Here’s what we know:Bird realized she was gay llegeDiana Trasi, also gay and now married, was her teammate and iend llege, but they never talked about Bird’s realizatn until they were Rsia the 2000sShe never felt the need to “e out” bee she always lived her life openly, she saysBird and Rapoe began datg the fall of 2016The Seattle Storm guard don’t want to be the center of attentn or gossipBird and Rapoe attend UCONN’s 100th nsecutive victory game together last FebaryRapoe says Bird is her number one “go-to-for advice person” bee she’s so level-headShe was drafted to the Seattle Storm as the No. 5 assistsThe private star has regularly spent the Seattle Storm’s off-seasons playg basketball Rsia, a untry where beg openly homosexual n be extremely dangero. This led fans to surmise that the star was protectg herself om backlash if she chose to e out, but that don’t seem to be the told ESPNW’s Mechelle Voepel, “I’m gay.

SUE BIRD AND MEGAN RAPOE FED THE NCEPT OF A GAY SPORTS POWER UPLE

Bird and her partner Megan Rapoe mastreamed the ncept of the gay sports power uple. Almost om that very moment, the public embraced the two of them unlike any gay or lbian athlete uple before.

WNBA’S SUE BIRD SAYS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL IS LS POPULAR THAN SOCCER BEE THEY’RE BLACK AND GAY

The two legends began seeg each other only a year after the Obergefell cisn, which turned out to be ftg, as they eventually beme the sports power uple for the legalized gay marriage generatn.

I CRIED WHEN SUE BIRD TOLD THE WORLD SHE'S GAY

'"Rapoe admted that she ma "such a bad imprsn, " wh her first le to the soccer star me out as gay 2012, Bird did not follow su until 2017, when the uple revealed that they were datg.

Speakg to ESPNW that year, Bird said: "I'm gay. Megan proclaimed herself gay a 2012 terview OUT magaze, but Sue didn’t share that fact about her until meetg Rapo. “I’m gay.

Women’s Natnal Basketball Associatn (WNBA) player Sue Bird claimed an terview that women’s basketball is ls popular than women’s soccer bee the basketball players are Black and gay, while the soccer players are perceived as “cute ltle whe girls. “It’s 70-80 percent Black women, a lot of gay women.

WNBA STAR SUE BIRD OUT AS GAY, REVEALS SHE’S DATG U.S. SOCCER PLAYER MEGAN RAPOE

And soccer, you jt don’t see that jt based on how they look, ” she ntued, addg, “The problem is how society and how the outsi world is willg to accept the cute girl next door, but not willg to accept, or embrace, or not judge the basketball players who are tall, Black, gay. In an article for The Player’s Tribune earlier this month, Rapoe wrote, “This untry has a ep history of racism, and a ep history of homophobia. And if you look at the players the W[NBA]: Most of them are Black, and a lot of them are gay.

And, you know, breakg news … I’m gay. I didn't need to read Bird's thoughts on her sexualy to know that is okay to be gay. "Getty | Allison FarrandJuly 2017: Sue Bird Com Out as GayWhile Rapoe has been out sce 2012, took some time for Bird to publicly open up about her sexualy.

WNBA STAR SUE BIRD OUT AS GAY, SAYS SHE’S DATG USWNT’S MEGAN RAPOE

In 2017, she officially me out as gay an terview wh ESPNW.

"I'm gay. Rapoe me out publicly as gay 2012, but Bird did not discs her relatnship wh the prs until 2017 after they had been datg for a while. 2017: Sue Bird out as gay and announc her relatnship wh Megan Rapoe.

WNBA LEGEND SUE BIRD: 'I'M GAY,' AND U.S. SOCCER STAR MEGAN RAPOE IS MY GIRLIEND

While Rapoe publicly me out as gay 2012 via an OUT magaze feature, Bird did not e out until 2017. A year, five years, 10 years, 20 years, to look back and be like, 'Oh, they were the first openly gay uple to be the issue. “And they were not enuraged to go to the gay bars for sure.

“To have a role mol for beg a female and beg gay and beg an athlete and a muny lear, ” Morngstar said, “to have someone [who is] such a solid human beg is jt really nice. Insir is highlightg out and proud athlet honor of the annual celebratn of those who intify as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and morn-day stars like USWNT pta Megan Rapoe and WNBA legend, Diana Trasi, are NBA player Jason Pl Colls, former NFL nng back David Kopay, and tennis in Billie Jean Kg were trailblazers their rpective sports. Longtime NFL offensive leman Ryan O'Callaghan me out as gay publicly 2017 via a story for Outsports and revealed that he had long planned to kill himself once his football reer was over.

She's sce bee a vol gay rights advote and one of the most fluential voic at the tersectn of sports and social movements. In 1999, after his profsnal reer me to a close, Bean me out as gay. After g out 2013, Michael Sam was one of the first publicly gay players high-profile llege football history.