Megan Rapinoe Gay: U.S. Soccer Star Comes Out, Reveals Longtime Relationship with Sarah Welsh
U.S. Olympic soccer player Megan Rapinoe revealed this week that she is gay.
The famous soccer star, 27, told Out.com that she's been dating Australian soccer player Sarah Walsh for three years.
“I feel like sports in general are still homophobic, in the sense that not a lot of people are out,” she told Out.com in an interview. “I feel everyone is really craving [for] people to come out. People want -- they need -- to see that there are people like me playing soccer for the good ol’ U.S. of A.”
Rapinoe said no one ever asked directly if she was gay.
“I think they were trying to be respectful and that it’s my job to say, ‘I’m gay.’ Which I am. For the record: I am gay,” she said.
According to the report, Rapinoe brought her girlfriend to meet her family in California last Christmas, but because of her career they cannot see each other very often.
Rapinoe also said she thinks women’s teams are more accepting of gay teammates than men’s teams.
“In female sports, if you’re gay, most likely your team knows it pretty quickly,” Rapinoe said. “It’s very open and widely supported. For males, it’s not that way at all. It’s sad.”
Rapinoe is best known for her success in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup when she helped the United States to reach the semifinals and the to the finals against France and Japan respectively.
“Megan is one of the most entertaining players in the game today,” said Amy Carnell, Sounders Women General Manager, with which she currently plays. “A difference maker in the 2011 World Cup, Megan plays with a level of flair and passion that is rarely seen. Watching Megan you learn to expect the unexpected, raw emotion and pure guts to the final whistle is what you get.”
