Megan Rapinoe officially came out to Out Magazine in an article posted on their website on July 2, 2012. The USWNT midfielder said, "for the record: I am gay."
Rapinoe was a breakout star in the Women's World Cup for her part in the epic last minute goal against Brazil. She sent in the cross that Wambach headed for the tying goal to send the match to penalty kicks. Rapinoe's popularity has skyrocketed and she has become a fan favorite. In a USA Today article, Rapinoe said, "I think I have a huge LGBT following," and all you have to do is go on Tumblr to confirm this.
Her coming out is certainly not shocking because she has not hidden her sexuality from the public. Rapinoe is very active on Twitter and expresses her support of the LGBT community. Also, there were pictures of her and her girlfriend kissing at an event that were posted on Tumblr and in a previous interview she discussed the ability for female soccer players to be accepted by teammates when they are openly gay. In the Out Magazine article, she said those three words to confirm what had been widely accepted, "I am gay."
This is great that Rapinoe is publicly coming out because she is empowering younger gay people to be comfortable with who they are. The sports world is still very much homophobic and Rapinoe said, "(for females) it is very open and widely supported. For males, it's not that way at all. It is sad." She also noted, "sports in general are still homophobic, in the sense that not a lot of people are out." For females, it may be accepted in the team atmosphere, but the press and larger society still struggle to overcome a fear of homosexuality, which has been ingrained in the culture of sports.
Sports and homophobia have long since been connected because of the way sports developed. In the 1800s, sports became popular because it was seen as a way to make men manlier. Females were excluded from sports and society feared females would become too masculine if they played. Female athletes that did appear masculine were ridiculed in the press. Due to this, female athletes developed many tactics to avoid being labeled a lesbian. They would simply be silent on the issue and they would also use the apologetic stance. Female athletes who used the apologetic stance would down play their athletic ability and present an outwardly feminine appearance. This situation has decreased over time, but the connection between masculinity and sports remains and greatly effects female and gay athletes.
Rapinoe has taken a great step by countering tactics used to avoid being labeled a lesbian and openly admitting her sexuality.
Out Magazine Article
USA Today article
Photo Credit: Out Magazine
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