Brittney Griner has always led from the front and her work for the LGBTQ community has been much bigger than the game. The WNBA star has crafted a story about overcoming discrimination, shattering glass ceilings, and ushering in a profound change.

Griner has never been hesitant about her sexual orientation. Furthermore, when she came out as a lesbian in an interview with Sports Illustrated in 2013, she became the world’s most prominent openly gay basketball player. Since then, she has served as a significant role model for others to block out external noises and express themselves openly.

Griner was apparently pissed after the “coming out” interview, as she mentioned in her memoir “In My Skin”.  It wasn’t because she was afraid of publicly discussing her sexuality, but because the reporter unexpectedly questioned her about it. She remarked that she wanted to tell her own story and give it the context it deserved.

She did, however, remark how significant the “coming out” was to a lot of people. In fact, while the video pissed her off, it also provided her with a heartwarming moment.

Brittney Griner “coming out” video allowed her to experience a touching moment

Many people saw Brittney Griner coming out as gay in a Sports Illustrated interview. She acted as a voice for several people who fear to express themselves openly and gave them much-needed hope.

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Griner said in her memoir that she was hearing from an increasing number of individuals that she was doing good. However, it wasn’t until a man approached her and expressed his thanks that she realized she was actually doing something good.

She said that EMTs and firemen were all over town during a memorial ceremony for the victims of the West Texas fertilizer plant explosion on the Baylor campus. Griner said that as she stepped outside her apartment, people immediately spotted her and wanted to take pictures.

She remarked how one station seemed to have a number of gays and lesbians on staff. So, a man came running to her and started thanking her. This is where Griner realized what it meant to people when she came out as a lesbian.

“He was almost crying”, said the WNBA star. “He told me my “coming out” was going to make things better.”

Griner then wrote that the man told him that a church was giving him troubles and that he hadn’t smiled in days.

“He also told me there was a local church that was giving them a hard time for being gay”, she said. “He said they hadn’t smiled in weeks, and yet here they were, smiling ear to ear while talking to me”, Griner added.

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As Griner noted, this was the moment that touched her. The Phoenix Mercury star realized that what she was doing was valuable to a significant number of individuals.