There are many Women in the WNBA who have played a very important part in the evolution of basketball and inspired many other females to take part in the sport. In the past few years, the WNBA has also seen many of its players come out as lesbians and members of the LGBTQ community. These females confidently came out and gave courage to many others who were afraid and hid their identities. In this article, we will tell you about some of the female players who are open about their sexuality and continue to inspire people.
Seimone Augustus
Former WNBA player Seimone Augustus was one of the most important players for the four-time WNBA champion Lynx. She won the WNBA Finals MVP in 2011 and was ranked 11th in league history in points scored at the time of her 2021 retirement. Augustus came to prominence when she fought for marriage equality, spoke out against Minnesota’s proposed anti-LGBTQ marriage amendment during the 2012 finals, and wrote a celebration of her relationship in the wake of the Obergefell decision. Seimone got engaged to her partner, LaTaya Varner, and got married in 2015 in Hawaii. The couple got divorced in 2018.
Brittany Griner
Brittany Griner came out as lesbian on February 11, 2013 in an Interview. She also revealed the bullying she faced as a child for being different. Even when she came out to her parents, they did not accept her. Griner is the first WNBA player to record a slam dunk in the playoffs. In 2014, Griner got engaged to her fellow WNBA player, Glory Johnson. The couple came into the spotlight after getting arrested for domestic violence. Both sustained few injuries, and despite the incident, both got married in 2015. On October 12, 2015, Johnson gave birth to twin girls, but the couple divorced in 2016. As of now, Griner is married to Cherell Watson.
Sheryl Swoopes
Swoopes is one of the most prominent athletes of her time. Swoopes was married to Jordan Eric Jackson from 1995 to 1999, but she once openly announced that she was gay. Swoopes stated that this can’t change who she is or who she falls in love with. Swoopes found out very late in her life that she was also gay. Swoopes was in a relationship with Alyssa Scott, who is a former basketball player. The couple got separated in 2011, and Swoopes eventually married her longtime male friend in 2017. Despite this, she is an important figure in the history of LGBTQ athletics.
Diana Taurasi
Diana Taurasi became the fastest player in the WNBA’s history to cross 6,000 career points in 2013. She celebrated this feat by continuing to collect the numbers and eventually becoming the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer. Diana dated her fellow teammate Penny Taylor for eight years and married her on May 13, 2017. Next year, on March 1, Taylor gave birth to a son. Taurasi is not only an influential basketball player but also an icon for people who fear coming out because of the judgement they may face.
Candace Parker
Parker is a very successful player in the WNBA. She made a good start in her career and won the Rookie of the Year award in 2008. Candace has also won two MVPs in her career and two WNBA titles with her teams, the Los Angeles Sparks and the Chicago Sky. On November 13, 2018, Parker married Shelden Williams, who is an NBA player. In 2009, the couple gave birth to a daughter. After eight years of marriage, the couple got divorced in 2016. On December 14, 2021, Parker announced that she got married to Anna Petrakova in 2019, who is a Russian basketball player. Anna was a part of the Russian Women’s National Team in 2012. Petrova gave birth to a son in 2022.
Beanna Stewart
Beanna Stewart is a professional WNBA player who plays for the New York Liberty. Stewart started dating three-time EuroBasket Champion Marta Zerge when they were teammates at Dynamo Kursk. Marta is also an Olympic and World Cup silver medalist with Spain’s national basketball team. In May 2021, Stewart proposed to her partner, and they were married on July 6. The same year, the couple welcomed their daughter Ruby on August 9 via surrogacy. On May 14, 2023, the couple announced on Instagram that they were expecting a second child in October.
Angel McCoughtry
McCoughtry affirmed her sexuality in 2015 via social media. She came out as a free spirit with no tags. Angel posted a picture with her now-ex-fiance on Instagram and wrote a long message about how they have been discriminated against and lost friends and family who didn’t accept them the way they were. Angel also stated that her previous overseas team threatened her job if she didn’t write a fake letter on social media claiming that her relationship was a lie.
Sue Bird
Sue Bird came out as a lesbian publicly on July 20, 2017, and revealed that she had been dating soccer player Megan Rapinoe for several months. They both met at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Bird and Rapinoe are the most famous LGBTQ power couple. In 2018, the pair appeared on the cover of ESPN’s The Magazine’s “Body Issue and became the first lesbian couple to do so. The couple announced their engagement on October 30, 2020.
Elena Delle Donne
Donne is a professional WNBA player who plays for the Washington Mystics. She is one of the most dominant players in the league and scored the fastest 3000 career points in WNBA history. Donne is also the first player to win MVP with two teams. She came out publicly in a 2016 Vogue issue and announced her engagement to longtime girlfriend Amanda Clifton. The couple got married on November 3, 2017.
Also Read:- List of Basketball Players who are openly gay
