OT: BG's new legacy, and Baylor (merged thread)

[maddoggy]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mo...gins-sports-sexuality/?sct=hp_t2_a4&eref=sihp

Nicely done all around.

 

[Coler]

Kudos to Griner for coming out to the public. She's starting to grow on me.

 

[UCONNfan1]

Congrats to Griner for being out and proud. Actually, it's something I don't think I've ever read about her before. It's cool that she just slid it into regular conversation like that.

 

[maddoggy]

Glad as I am that she is out and proud, I can't help wishing that she had found it in herself to speak up a little earlier, when other gay and lesbian students tried to get recognized as a student group in 2011, only to be turned down by the administration.

“Baylor expects students not to participate in advocacy groups promoting an understanding of sexuality that is contrary to biblical teaching,”university spokeswoman Lori Fogleman said at the time.

It would have been interesting to see what the university would have done had its star player raised her voice then.

 

[alexrgct]

I agree that it would have been impactful to come out at Baylor, but the nuances of that situation are complicated enough that I'll avoid having a strong opinion there.

I'm just happy she's come out now and received the full support of her peers. Maybe someday male athletes will feel comfortable doing so as well.

Athletic ability has no sexual orientation.

 

[HuskyNan]

Glad as I am that she is out and proud, I can't help wishing that she had found it in herself to speak up a little earlier, when other gay and lesbian students tried to get recognized as a student group in 2011, only to be turned down by the administration.

“Baylor expects students not to participate in advocacy groups promoting an understanding of sexuality that is contrary to biblical teaching,”university spokeswoman Lori Fogleman said at the time.

It would have been interesting to see what the university would have done had its star player raised her voice then.

That's a big burden to place on a young person that's also got other great expectations on her. It may have just been too much to expect one person to handle, much less a teenager/young twenty-something.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Love Diggins' analogy of "Yeah, we don't ask Brittney to bring the ball up the court" for the context of letting a player be what she is instead of what some folks might want her to be. At first it was a bit of a puzzler to me as to what she was saying (like why would you want to have a 6'9" player dribbling up court unless they're Magic Johnson?), but Diggins is just going with an example from the basketball world she knows so well.

​

 

[katiecrum1992]

This is such a great interview. What Brittney said about being yourself and not letting what others think about you get to you, is really important, especially to me.

 

[CBus13]

It's interesting she said she has always been open about who she is and her sexuality (which is fantastic for her) while still choosing Baylor, which have student handbook stating things about how human sexuality such as homosexuality and heterosexuality outside of marriage should not be advocated. I would hope she would feel accepted at school by everyone while attending, but I do wonder if she waited until she was done with the team to really state that she was out and proud?

Props to Griner and to the other two for being so casual about the "issue" of sexuality in sports .You have to think the interviewer was bringing up the NFL issue on sexuality to kind of lead into talking to Griner about it?

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I didn't know, but gathered it from some conversation here on the BY posted by someone I suspected would know. They were referencing the players that helped Mulkey win her 2 championships, and I caught the reference.

Good for her. May lead to more fan abuse, however, neither Sue Wicks nor Swoopes got a lot of abuse, that I am aware of. One can hope. I know I'll be cheering for her.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I didn't know, but gathered it from some conversation here on the BY posted by someone I suspected would know. They were referencing the players that helped Mulkey win her 2 championships, and I caught the reference.

Good for her. May lead to more fan abuse, however, neither Sue Wicks nor Swoopes got a lot of abuse, that I am aware of. One can hope. I know I'll be cheering for her.

Swoopes "came out" later in her career (or even maybe in her 2nd go round)

 

[DaddyChoc]

should they have asked if Diggins or EDD was gay... many just assum something's up with BG but are others covering it up to til the "time is right"?

Its a non-issue to me either way, just put the ball in the damn hoop

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Swoopes "came out" later in her career (or even maybe in her 2nd go round)

True. And, while I don't really know when Wicks came out, she was by the time she started in the W. My point was that they both played in the same league as Griner is going to, without abuse that I know of.

 

[HuskyNan]

Props to Griner and to the other two for being so casual about the "issue" of sexuality in sports .You have to think the interviewer was bringing up the NFL issue on sexuality to kind of lead into talking to Griner about it?

I have sons that are 18 and 16. I asked them how they feel about gay marriage and they shrugged. I asked them how they feel about gays and they shrugged again. I'm glad to see that their generation isn't going to judge others by whom they date or marry.

 

[Icebear]

should they have asked if Diggins or EDD was gay... many just assum something's up with BG but are others covering it up to til the "time is right"?

Its a non-issue to me either way, just put the ball in the damn hoop

No need to assume sumptin's up with BG she said she's out. The others were free to make any comment they wished, too. It is as you said irrelevant. Each must find their own time and place and support from friends and family is a huge part of that.

Had an extended discussion with a young heterosexual couple last night about the issue as we prepared for their wedding in May. It was very open and supportive of friends of their's.

 

[maddoggy]

That's a big burden to place on a young person that's also got other great expectations on her. It may have just been too much to expect one person to handle, much less a teenager/young twenty-something.

I'm not saying she was obliged to say something earlier. But -- leaving Griner aside -- I do get tired of the meme that college kids are too young to act like grown-ups. I and a dozen of my fellow students faced arrest in a non-violent anti-war protest my freshman year at UConn. Hundreds of my fellow students and I were arrested in a non-violent anti-racism sit-in my junior year. And, as head of the student government, I regularly had a beer at the Rathskellar on Gay and Lesbian night each week, just as I met with other interest groups. And all that was in the early 70s, mind you. Just because you are a teenager/young twenty-something doesn't mean you should skip out on your social responsibilities or subsidize the hypocrisy of the school you attend.

I'm not saying Griner HAD to speak up, but I do wish she had, and I would respect her a lot more if that had been the case. To paraphrase Luke 12:48, from those to whom much has been given, more is expected. I admire Griner's basketball talents, but I have more respect for the straight and GLBT students at Baylor like Samantha Jones and Susan Duty who had the courage to raise their voices within the belly of the beast.

 

[Icebear]

Well said, maddy. At the same time every student's situation is different. Those who hate will hate anyway as a pastor who is publicly supportive of LGBT people and who yet has a strong sense of institutional process and accountability I have had numerous personal attacks from others just as a supporter sometimes from both sides at once. As you would well know the hostility can be overwhelming.

 

[maddoggy]

Well said, maddy. At the same time every student's situation is different. Those who hate will hate anyway as a pastor who is publicly supportive of LGBT people and who yet has a strong sense of institutional process and accountability I have had numerous personal attacks from others just as a supporter sometimes from both sides at once. As you would well know the hostility can be overwhelming.

All too true. Speaking truth to power is never easy. And, in Griner's defense, she already faced a lot of innuendo and insults.

 

[ThisJustIn]

And I sure would be impressed if the coaches around her would have as much courage.

I'll be intrigued to see how Baylor -- and I mean ALL of Baylor -- handles this.

 

[Wbbfan1]

As a society why does Sports and Sexuality need to be in the same conversation? Who cares which way athletes lean towards in their sexual lives. We as fans should only care about how the athlete perform in their chosen sports endeavor. I for one wish that we as a society didn't need or want to know what a person's sexual identify is.

 

[meyers7]

Glad as I am that she is out and proud, I can't help wishing that she had found it in herself to speak up a little earlier, when other gay and lesbian students tried to get recognized as a student group in 2011, only to be turned down by the administration.

“Baylor expects students not to participate in advocacy groups promoting an understanding of sexuality that is contrary to biblical teaching,”university spokeswoman Lori Fogleman said at the time.

It would have been interesting to see what the university would have done had its star player raised her voice then.

Well when she chose Baylor, she knew what kind of school it was, what it's beliefs were. I see no problem with respecting that.

 

[meyers7]

I'm not saying Griner HAD to speak up, but I do wish she had, and I would respect her a lot more if that had been the case. To paraphrase Luke 12:48, from those to whom much has been given, more is expected. I admire Griner's basketball talents, but I have more respect for the straight and GLBT students at Baylor like Samantha Jones and Susan Duty who had the courage to raise their voices within the belly of the beast.

I'll have to disagree with that. I don't think one needs to go to a place where you know what their beliefs are and then openly disagree with them. Just don't go there. Respect their beliefs, even if they are not yours.

I mean would you think it was "courageous" for someone who didn't support Gay and Lesbian lifestyles to join a GLBT group and then speak out against what the group was doing or believed in?

The people who go to Baylor know what the school is/believes in (or they should). They should respect that if they choose to go there. Otherwise, there are plenty of other schools to choose from.

Not trying to run this off this board. Hopefully we can be civil.

 

[meyers7]

As a society why does Sports and Sexuality need to be in the same conversation? Who cares which way athletes lean towards in their sexual lives. We as fans should only care about how the athlete perform in their chosen sports endeavor. I for one wish that we as a society didn't need or want to know what a person's sexual identify is.

Hear hear!

 

[Icebear]

As a society why does Sports and Sexuality need to be in the same conversation? Who cares which way athletes lean towards in their sexual lives. We as fans should only care about how the athlete perform in their chosen sports endeavor. I for one wish that we as a society didn't need or want to know what a person's sexual identify is.

Someday that will be the case. It is not yet. Every person who stands up in every profession including sports helps others, especially, young people as they struggle with their sexual identity and how they fit into society because while it is changing and it gets better we aren't there yet.

 

[Zorro]

As a society why does Sports and Sexuality need to be in the same conversation? Who cares which way athletes lean towards in their sexual lives. We as fans should only care about how the athlete perform in their chosen sports endeavor. I for one wish that we as a society didn't need or want to know what a person's sexual identify is.

The unfortunate answer is that a lot of people care a whole bunch and bust their butts to make life difficult for those who are openly sexually different. And hats off to people like Maddy who are trying to correct the situation.