Sue Bird Comes Out as Gay, Confirms Romance with Megan Rapinoe

Sue Bird, one of the best female basketball players of all-time, has come out as gay.

In an interview with espnW, the WNBA legend revealed publicly for the first time what she says family members and friends have known for a very long time.

“I’m gay,” she told the website simply.

Moreover, Bird said she is dating U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe (below), who came out herself way back in 2012.

“Megan’s my girlfriend,” said Bird, who starred in college for the University of Connecticut.

“These aren’t secrets to people who know me. I don’t feel like I’ve not lived my life. I think people have this assumption that if you’re not talking about it, you must be hiding it, like it’s this secret.

“That was never the case for me.”

Bird was the first overall pick of the 2002 WNBA Draft. She led UConn to an undefeated season that year and was named College Player of the Year.

She’s been selected to nine WNBA All-Star teams, led that league in assists on three occasions, earned two WNBA titles and four Olympic Gold Medals.

In 2011, she was voted by fans as one of the WNBA’s Top 15 Players of All Time and was voted one of the WNBA’s top 20 players of all-time.

He resume is unassailable.

Bird is not the first big-time women’s basketball player to come out as gay. Elena Delle Donne made a similar announcement last summer, for example.

And another former top pick, Brittney Griner, also opened up about her homosexuality in 2013.

Even prior to this public announcement, Bird stood in strong support of those who blazed a trail for her.

“It’s more about stigmas than anything else, and I think with those stigmas you have people who are going to be judged,” Bird told USA Today’s Sam Amick last year.

She elaborated at the time:

“I think on the men’s side, they’re not quite there yet. Jason Collins, for him to do that, particularly in the basketball world, he was the one who kind of broke down the barrier.

“And maybe in the future, it’ll change.

“But I think right now there’s still that stigma. I would love for it to change, because it’s really not that big of a deal in all reality.”

Why did she make this confirmation right now?

“It’s happening when it’s happening because that’s what feels right,” Bird told ESPN.

“So even though I understand there are people who think I should have done it sooner, it wasn’t right for me at the time. I have to be true to that.

“It’s my journey.”

View Slideshow: 40 Celebrities Who Are Out and Proud!

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WNBA Star Sue Bird Comes Out as Gay, Dating USWNT"s Megan Rapinoe

WNBA star Sue Bird is going public with her sexuality for the first time … revealing she’s dating U.S. women’s soccer player Megan Rapinoe!! The 36-year-old All-Star opened up about her relationship with Rapinoe … saying she’s never…

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WNBA Star Sue Bird Comes Out as Gay, Dating USWNT"s Megan Rapinoe

WNBA star Sue Bird is going public with her sexuality for the first time … revealing she’s dating U.S. women’s soccer player Megan Rapinoe!! The 36-year-old All-Star opened up about her relationship with Rapinoe … saying she’s never…

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Megan Rapinoe Kneels for National Anthem, Is on Team Kaepernick

Megan Rapinoe is a member of the U.S. National Soccer Team.

But she’s also a member of Team Colin Kaepernick.

The San Francisco 49ers quarterback has become a topic of national debate after refusing to stand for the national anthem prior to a couple recent preseason football games.

He has made it clear that he plans to continue this protest once the actual season gets underway as well.

Upon initially taking this stance, Kaepernick explained his controversial decision as follows:

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color…

“To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

In subsequent interviews, Kaepernick specifically cited violent confrontations between members of the police and members of the African-American community that resulted in the latter being killed.

The story has become a global sensation.

President Obama even commented on Kaepernick’s protest over the weekend.

He said that the quarterback was exercising his “constitutional right,” that he’s following in the tradition of other famous athletes and “I think he cares about some real legitimate issues that have to be talked about.”

Here’s a look at Obama making these remarks:

President Obama on Colin Kaepernick

Kaepernick has added that he will continue to make his voice heard until there is “significant change” in the world and he’s also pledged to donate $ 1 million to charities that help communities in need.

Before you criticize Kaepernick, perhaps you should ask yourself:

What are you actively doing to bring about social justice?

No, standing up for the national anthem does not count.

So that brings us to Megan Rapinoe.

A midfielder for the Seattle Reign FC in the National Women’s Soccer League, she took a knee while The Star-Spangled Banner played prior to kickoff against the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday night.

Yes, she later told reporters, his was an intentional move.

Rapinoe explained that she took stand because she’s disgusted with the way Kaepernick has been treated by critics.

Some folks really seem to think that the symbolic gesture of standing up during the national anthem is somehow more important or effective that the proactive stance against injustice that Kaepernick is trying to take.

Rapinoe added that she can relate to Kaepernick on an oppressed level, too.

“Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties,” she said.

“It was something small that I could do and something that I plan to keep doing in the future and hopefully spark some meaningful conversation around it.

“It’s important to have white people stand in support of people of color on this.”

View Slideshow: 20 Scandalous Sports Stories

What do you think of Rapinoe’s act?

What do you think of John Legend calling The Star-Spangled Banner weak?

What do you think of veterans standing with Kaepernick across the nation? Does it change your viewpoint at all?