?I?m in Shackles and Handcuffs and a Straitjacket?: Forced to Wear a Dress, Brittney Griner Once Detailed the Suffocating Experience of Being Forced to Act Feminine

WNBA star Brittney Griner officially came out in 2013. However, people close to her already knew about it. But it was not an easy path. She found it hard to fit in at school. Griner has been open about the taunts and negative comments she has heard over the years. She would have a great time at home with her father, mother, and siblings. But things would change when she is at school. Even though other kids could not bully her physically because of her build, they chose other ways to try and hurt her.

She had to go through a lot of hateful comments and taunts before and during middle school. The former WNBA champion tried to fit in wearing dresses like most girls her age. But she wanted to express herself differently. So she decided to express herself and stop pretending when she was in high school.

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In 2005, she showed up at her high school wearing men’s sneakers, oversized jeans, and a baggy shirt, trying the stud label. Her friends were welcoming and put her at ease. But the taunts did not stop. However, she was relieved that she had finally mustered the courage to express herself.

When Brittney Griner finally expressed herself

Brittney Griner once talked about pretending to be someone she is not by wearing dresses and how she felt when she finally stopped pretending. She said, “When I’m in a dress, it’s like, ‘What am I doing in this?’ I feel trapped, like I’m in shackles and handcuffs and a straitjacket. So I was just like, ‘F*** it,?I’m going to wear what I want.’?I caught hell for it, but it felt so good being myself.”?

That same year she found basketball and also grew six more inches. She had a rough time dealing with the sudden growth spurt which gave her immense knee pain. Also, she became very clumsy and even struggled to catch a basketball. Griner later came out to her parents. While her mother was welcoming, her father was not.

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So she moved out and lived with an assistant coach from her high school team. She became a star of the team and became a national prospect real soon. After making her name in high school, she opted to play for the Baylor Bears women’s team in college. And she became an icon in college basketball, setting multiple records and helping them win the national title in 2012 before joining the WNBA as the number one overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2013 WNBA draft.