Ex-Lesbian: WNBA Star's Coming Out Stems From Sex-Saturated Society
By Jim Brown
(AgapePress) - A former lesbian activist who became a Christian says
she is saddened but not surprised by Women's National Basketball
Association (WNBA) star Sheryl Swoopes' decision to announce her
homosexuality.
Swoopes, a three-time Olympic gold medallist and four-time WNBA
champion, currently plays for the Houston Comets. The all-star athlete,
who came out of the closet about her homosexuality to The Advocate and
ESPN The Magazine last month, admits she was not born a lesbian but
simply fell in love with a close female friend who advised and
supported her during a time when her marriage was on the rocks.
Swoopes told ESPN The Magazine that she considers herself a Christian
but resents it when people use religious arguments to judge her
behavior. The Houston Comets forward's decision to declare her
lesbianism has become a much publicized source of concern for some
pro-family observers, who fear her announcement could prompt some young
female athletes to think their strong feelings for their girl friends
should be expressed sexually.
Former lesbian Yvette Schneider works with the ministry "Women Into
Sports" and also helps other sports ministries deal with the issue of
lesbianism from a biblical perspective. She says Swoopes' lesbian
lifestyle is similar to that of many female college athletes who call
themselves LUGs, or "lesbians until graduation."
Schneider does not see in Swoopes' recent divulgence any affirmation of
the prevalence of lesbianism in society, necessarily. Rather, she says
she views it as "more a comment on our sex-saturated society -- that if
you care for someone and have a strong emotional connection with them,
then it must be sexualized in some way rather than just merely having
strong feelings for a close friend."
In fact, the sports ministry consultant contends, Swoopes' lesbian
relationship has nothing to do with what is commonly known as a
"lesbian core identity," where an individual acknowledges having
experienced same-sex attractions since childhood. For the WNBA star, as
she herself acknowledges, homosexuality was not an inborn trait but was
a conscious choice.
And the athlete's revelation of that choice came as no surprise to
Schneider. She was, however, taken aback by the double standard with
which Swoopes' announcement has largely been met.
"What surprised me," Schneider says, "was that there was no real
mention of the fact that her relationship began with an assistant
coach, Alisa Scott, on the Houston Comets; whereas, if a woman started
having a relationship with a man who was coaching her, we'd hear about
that being sexual abuse, molestation, or some sort of [suggestion that]
she was coerced into a sexual relationship."
Scott served as an assistant coach in Houston for seven years before
resigning her post some months ago. Her former position as a liaison
between the head coach and the players gave her considerable authority
and influence, a fact that leads Schneider to believe that more
attention should be focused on the ethical questions surrounding
Scott's personal relationship with a member of the team.
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