Lori Lindsey was an alternate in the London Olympics but has been a member of the USWNT for the past few years. In an interview with Autostraddle.com, Lori Lindsey confirmed what many of us suspected: She’s a gay lady.
She has been out since she was about 20 years old and, like her good buddy Megan Rapinoe, has been open about her sexuality with everyone in her life for years. Lindsey’s mom is a lesbian and being out has been a part of who she is for many years. Lindsey noted that “[i]t’s funny though, because even though [Rapinoe] came out, I feel like my life is out. I’m saying this to you now and it will be printed, but that’s not going be a shock to very many people.” She took the step many of the rest of us regular Janes never have to contemplate by coming out to the media in her interview with a simple statement that she’s “a gay woman.”
For any of you who might be looking to date a soccer superstar you should know that she’s single and discusses the kinds of ladies she likes to date. She suggests that anyone who is interested should contact Megan Rapinoe who will be screening applicants. I have to admit to a total friend crush on the two of them and would like to hang out with them immediately.
What strikes me most about both players in interviews and in their hilarious video of them shopping while on the road is the sense that they are completely authentic.
That authenticity makes them relatable. Maybe it makes both of their comings out perhaps less surprising, since we never got the sense they are hiding anything, but it also makes them more powerful. They are themselves in all situations and do not feel the need to change or hide to make others more comfortable. That is a place that many of us struggle to reach. If Lindsey’s coming out is half as infectious as her sense of humor we can look forward to some more ladies saying they are gay in the near future.
Having another soccer player of Lindsey’s caliber say not only that she’s gay but also that she has never had a problem in her sport because of it, will only inspire more girls to play without fear that who they are will impede their ability to make the team. So, thank you Lori for taking the time to come out to us. Everyone important to you may have already known you were gay but it’s important to so many more people that you are an out to the rest of us.
What do you think of her coming out?
