Sheryl Swoopes, always a pioneer in women's basketball, today becomes the sport's first openly gay superstar.
It's not so much that she's black, or that's she's a woman, that I'm posting this here. There have even been sports stars that have declared they're gay before.
But Sheryl Swoopes is the closest it's got to a mainstream American sports star who's discussed having a homosexual orientation. And what she's doing is American--she's standing up for what she thinks is right. Like Rosa Parks. Except Rosa Parks didn't stand up--she remained sitting.
A couple of quotes.
"My reason for coming out isn't to be some sort of hero," Swoopes, a forward with the Houston Comets, says in the article. "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. About the person I love."
"Male athletes of my caliber probably feel like they have a lot more to lose than gain [by coming out]. I don't agree with that. To me, the most important thing is happiness."
Here's to hoping that Swoopes willingness to stand up for what she believes in can inspire others to do so. Having openly gay atheletes in a country where sports figures are so culturally influential would be a huge step in the right direction in my eyes.
So, here's to celebrating Rosa Parks' memory by celebrating those who exhibit the same basic qualities that make America special--this is a place where we stand up for our rights. Let's not lose that.
Ben
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