LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 03: Seimone Augustus #5 of United States handles the ball during the Women's Basketball Preliminary Round match against Czech Republic on Day 7 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Basketball Arena on August 3, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The WNBA MVP and Olympic athlete talks about the open arms she found when she came out, and her plans to marry her partner in Minnesota.
Seimone Augustus is having a very good Olympic Games. The Minnesota Lynx star, who came out publicly as a lesbian earlier this year, has helped Team USA to the semifinals, with their latest game a thrashing of Canada, 91-48. On Wednesday, Augustus talks to ESPN's Outside the Lines about coming out publicly.
She told ESPN that her coming-out process has been incredibly positive.
I was on such a high note, as far as being happy with who I am, it didn't really matter what anybody else thought. ... It really was a non-issue. Every text, every call, every email, any time of communication I received has been positive.
That includes Nike, with whom Augustus has an endorsement deal. Earlier this year, Nike hosted the first LGBT Sports Summit, of which SB Nation was a sponsor.
This is what we hear over and over and over and over and over and over again from athletes who come out. Whether they are male or female, black or white, football players or swimmers, in Los Angeles or Central Pennsylvania...When they come out, they're met with overwhelming positivity (though we do have some stories of out lesbians being harassed by their schools).
Augustus plans to marry her partner next spring. Currently, the state of Minnesota is considering a constitutional amendment that would bar Augustus from marrying.
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