WNBA star Brittney Griner came out publicly in 2013. This was after she was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury as the #1 pick in the 2013 WNBA draft. People close to the towering center knew this about her. But she had not come out publicly before then. And there was not so much fuss about the whole announcement. Griner just casually acknowledged that she is gay during an interview. She said that it was not really difficult coming out and said that she has always been open about her sexuality.

It was a turbulent period for Griner with her joining the league and coming out. Griner added that she never thought a big coming-out announcement was necessary. However, some in the LGBTQ+ community were concerned that the media did not make a big fuss about it at the time.

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Jim Buzinski, a founder of Outsports.com, a Web site about homosexuality and sports said there was no great fuss about Griner coming out because she is a woman. He compared it to the rumors of an NFL player allegedly coming out. And said that the news garnered 10x times the media attraction to that of Griner coming out.

Why was there no big fuss about Brittney Griner coming out?

?A few weeks ago, we had a story on Outsports about the rumors that an N.F.L. player was going to come out ? no one knew who, or anything more than that,? Buzinski said.

?That story got 10 times the traffic of Brittney Griner, on video, saying that she is a lesbian,? he added.

However, some would argue it is because of the popularity of the league. NFL is one of the most watched sports leagues in the country. And it has been gaining huge popularity in other parts of the world as well. This could have apparently played a part in the news getting more traffic. In fact, NFL Linebacker Carl Nassib was the first active NFL player to come out as gay, when he announced it in 2021.

While coming out, Griner also admitted to having been targeted for being different. She had to endure a lot of negative and hateful comments over the years. However, she was able to overcome all the roadblocks. She said that her parents have always encouraged her to be herself. However, when she first came out to her parents, her mother was welcoming but her father was not.

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So Griner moved out and lived with an assistant coach from her high school. However, her father soon came around and mended things with her daughter. The two were then in constant touch with each other in every step of her life.