Sheryl Swoopes comes out of the closet, declares she is gay
Wednesday 26 October 2005
Link to story is here. If only I could get a copy of ESPN the Magazine down here...
She is one of the highest profile athletes ever to openly declare their homosexuality, male or female, while still active as an athlete in a team sport. This *is* a momentous event in sporting history.
Van says he respects everything about Sheryl, Donna Orender says it's a non-issue (however Donna, it's not a choice) and Nike is happy to continue sponsoring Sheryl.
Addendum: I am just amazed thatsome people have interpreted Sheryl's comment about "not being born that way" to mean that it's a choice. Read the artice further:
"Discovering I'm gay just sort of happened much later in life," Swoopes says. "Being intimate with [Alisa] or any other woman never entered my mind. At the same time, I'm a firm believer that when you fall in love with somebody, you can't control that."
Choice implies some sort of conscious control. Sheryl is saying she didn't have much control over her feelings for her partner. I believe sexuality can be very fluid and sometimes you may not manifest a different preference till a different stage in your life. I believe that happened in this case.