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Wolfe Releasing lands ‘Sue Bird: In the Clutch’

shannon — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 16:50:59 +0000

“Sue Bird: In the Clutch,” a documentary about the WNBA superstar’s last season, lands with Wolfe Video for release on March 29.

Coming Out clip on Wolfe YouTube

The world’s largest distributor of LGBTQ+ films, Wolfe Releasing landed the North American distribution rights.

WHERE TO RENT OR BUY

Apple TV
Prime Video
Fandango at Home
WolfeOnDemand.com

Read the Variety article all about this groundbreaking athlete and this amazing documentary.

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Lesbian college hoopsters allege discrimination

candy — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 14:45:33 +0000

Leah Johnson (left) and Miah Register

BY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

In an article posted by Outsports, a blog affiliated with the LGBTQ sports news website SB Nation, two former University of Richmond women’s basketball players, Leah Johnson and Miah Register, allege that they were victims of homophobia and racism while attending the school.

Johnson alleges that after her freshman year when Register was signed to the team, Richmond’s assistant coach Ebony Tanner Moore demanded Johnson end the relationship.

“I don’t know what it is you’re doing,” Johnson quotes Moore as saying, “I don’t know what phase you’re going through, but you need to break up with Miah before she steps foot on this campus.”

Johnson and Register, now engaged, said that their relationship was singled out by the coaching staff.

“I felt like we were really being singled out,” Johnson told Outsports. “There were other girls dating, there were other girls who identified as lesbian or bisexual, and there was such a focus on our personal issues that it affected the productivity of the team.”

Register shared her experiences with the GO! Athletes blog in May 2013, recounting the difficult times she faced after one of the University of Richmond coaches outed her to her mother. Register was forced to move in with Johnson’s family after an assistant coach contacted Register’s mother to tell her that both players would lose their scholarships if they didn’t end the relationship.

“I was absolutely treated differently,” wrote Register. “Not only for being a lesbian, (which, by the way, no one ever asked, it was just assumed, and because I was less feminine than the other girls, they assumed a lot about me) but or being black, and I was judged for being from an urban area. I was ostracized for being the former – being me – and I was abandoned by my family for the same reasons.”

Ultimately, both women transferred to Fairleigh Dickinson University in December 2011. Johnson ended her basketball career in 2012 after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; Register left the team in 2013 citing emotional issues.

In July 2014 the couple founded the Johnson-Register Alliance, a “platform for women, people with disabilities, people of color, and LGBTQ people,” which will be used to advocate for equality and inclusion.

The University of Richmond conducted its own internal investigation of the allegations and released a statement which read, in part, “The University takes seriously and investigates fully any allegation of discrimination…Due to federal privacy laws, we cannot comment on the specific allegations. University of Richmond is committed to a welcoming and inclusive environment.”

In February 2014, the University of Richmond hosted the first national LGBT student athlete conference.

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Griner memoir describes rift with anti-gay Baylor

candy — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 15:45:24 +0000

BY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

WNBA star Brittney Griner had reservations about attending Baylor University. The highly recruited phenom had come out early in high school and was concerned about how she would be received at the Baptist school. But during the recruiting process her future coach Kim Mulkey told her, “You can be black, white, blue, purple, whatever. As long as you come here and do what you need to do and hoop, I don’t care.” According to Griner’s new memoir, that wasn’t exactly the case.

In “Under My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court,” Griner describes her discomfort with the university’s anti-gay policies.

“I would love to be an ambassador for Baylor, to show my school pride, but it’s hard to do that — it’s hard to stand up and say, ‘Baylor is the best!’ — when the administration has a written policy against homosexuality. I’ve spent too much of my life being made to feel like there’s something wrong with me. And no matter how much support I felt as a basketball player at Baylor, it still doesn’t erase all the pain I felt there.”

In the memoir, published April 8, Griner talks about the school’s policies, recalling her frustration at not being able to kiss her girlfriend in public without it getting back to Mulkey. Griner says her coach made it clear that she needed to keep her sexuality out of the public eye.

“The more I think about it, the more I feel like the people who run the school want it both ways: they want to keep the policy, so they can keep selling themselves as a Christian university, but they are more than happy to benefit from the success of their gay athletes. That is, as long as those gay athletes don’t talk about being gay,” said Griner in “Under My Skin.”

In a 2013 interview with ESPN, the record-setting hoopster said she never considered asking Mulkey if it would be alright for her to come out while at Baylor.

“I already knew the answer,” she told ESPN in May 2013. “I didn’t want to hear ‘No.’ It was a recruiting thing. The coaches thought if it seemed like they condoned it, people wouldn’t let their kids play for Baylor.”

Griner came out publicly in April 2013 in a story in USA Today.

Griner was a standout at Baylor, leading the Lady Bears to a perfect 40-0 season in 2011-2012 and setting an all-time record for blocked shots during her college career. Despite being made to feel out of place at the university, Griner is balanced in her expressing her experience while at the school and says, even knowing all she knows now, she would still choose to attend Baylor.

The Phoenix Mercury superstar also addresses rumors which circulated after she withdrew her name from consideration for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team in the book. In removing herself from consideration, she cited a family illness (her mother was diagnosed with lupus) and a pressing summer school schedule. Critics speculated that the 6’8″ dunking center feared the gender testing that would go along with Olympic play.

“I have every intention of playing for the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, if I’m selected for the team. And if some country wants to issue a challenge, bring it on. I don’t have anything to hide. I’ll do whatever I need to do, prove whatever point I need to prove, so I can play. And then maybe everyone will finally shut up.”

Griner is one of 33 players in the 2014-16 USA Basketball national team pool, 12 of whom will be selected for the 2016 Olympic team.

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Sun picks Ogwumike No. 1 in WNBA draft

candy — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 13:30:40 +0000

BY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

The Connecticut Sun made Stanford’s Chiney Ogwumike the No. 1 pick in the 2014 WNBA draft Monday night.

Ogwumike finished her outstanding collegiate career at Stanford as the top scorer and rebounder in Pac-12 history. The 6’4″ forward received numerous honors as a Cardinal, including being named three-time First Team All-American, two-time Pac-12 Player of the Year and three-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Along with her sister, Nneka, who was selected as the No. 1 pick by Los Angeles in the 2012 WNBA draft, Ogwumike lead Stanford to the NCAA Final Four in both her freshman and sophomore years. The sisters become only the second pair of siblings selected as No. 1 picks in any of the four major American sports. Peyton and Eli Manning were the first.

No. 1 pick – Chiney Ogwumike

Baylor’s Odyssey Sims went next in the draft. The Tulsa Shock will be looking for the high-scoring left-handed guard to boost their offense alongside formal rival Skylar Diggins. Sims was a consensus All-American and sits atop Baylor’s record books for assists.

No. 2 pick – Odyssey Sims

The San Antonio Stars made Kayla McBride, who as a senior led Notre Dame to its first undefeated season in the program’s history, the draft’s No. 3 pick.

No. 3 pick – Kayla McBride

Finishing out the first round were:

4. New York Liberty – Alyssa Thomas
5. Indiana Fever – Natasha Howard
6. Washington Mystics – Stefanie Dolson
7. Seattle Storm – Bria Hartley
8. Atlanta Dream – Shoni Schimmel
9. Indiana Fever – Natalie Achonwa
10. Chicago Sky – Markeisha Gatling
11. Connecticut Sun – Chelsea Gray
12. Minnesota Lynx – Tricia Liston

The 2014 WNBA season gets underway May 16.

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Perfect season: UConn women join men as champs

shannon — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 07:36:48 +0000

BY LESBIAN.COM
In the battle of undefeated teams, UConn had Notre Dame’s number all night long, taking the title with a decisive 79-58 victory and finishing the season 40-0.

It was a history making night for basketball as it was the first time two undefeated teams, men or women, have met for a title. It was the second time in UConn history that the men’s and women’s teams won the national title in the same year.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma is one title away from tying coaching legend John Wooden’s 10 NCAA championships. His ninth championship puts him one up on Tennessee coaching great Pat Summitt, who congratulated him on the win. It’s the fifth time an Auriemma-coached UConn team has been perfect on the way to a championship. Auriemma has never lost in a title match, winning nine championships in 20 seasons with UConn.

Sophomore Breanna Stewart scored 21 points and brought in nine rebounds as she earned Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors for the second year in a row. Senior Stefanie Dolson had 17 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, who missed eight games earlier in the season with an elbow injury and mononucleosis, added 18 points and seven rebounds.

UConn ran the boards, besting Notre Dame 54-31 and holding the Irish to a season-low 58 points.

The win allows Dolson to keep a promise she made last year to President Barack Obama when she said UConn would be back.

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NCAAW tournament: Fierce Final Four match-ups

shannon — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 13:45:13 +0000

BY FARM SAETEURN
Lesbian.com

Eight teams, four games, infinite brutality. The Elite Eight teams each battled aggressively to earn a spot in the Final Four in contests marked by tenacious defense and ferocious offense.

The game between Odyssey Sims’ No. 2 seeded Baylor and No. 1 seed Notre Dame went to the favored Irish, but not without a fight from the Lady Bears. Sims scored a game-high 33 points, but could not take down undefeated Notre Dame even with one of their star players and team leaders, Natalie Achonwa, out with a torn ACL in the second half. With the help of Sophomore Jewell Loyd, who played a sensational game and scored a team-high of 30 points, the fighting Irish were able to put away the tough Baylor team to advance to the Final Four for the fourth time in four years.

No. 3 seed Texas A&M came out blazing as they took the lead against the No. 1 seeded UConn Huskies at the start of the first half. That fire didn’t last long as the UConn ladies stepped up their defense and Kaleena Mosqueeda-Lewis began making her presence known on the offensive end of the floor, finishing the game with 17 points. The Aggies had a brief rally in the second half to cut the deficit to three, but the Huskies redoubled their defense with a surprising showing from center Stefanie Dolson who had eight blocks in the paint. Undefeated UConn eliminated Texas A&M, 69-54.

The No. 4 seed Maryland vs. No. 3 seed Louisville regional final match-up was combative until the end. Ultimately the game was decided by a missed three-pointer by senior guard Shonni Schimmel, who’d gone three-from-three beyond the arc up to that point. The Terrapins’ Alyssa Thomas had an outstanding game finishing with 22 points and 13 rebounds, propelling Maryland to its fourth Final Four in school history.

The Maples Pavilion was packed with fans of both No. 3 seed North Carolina Tarheels and No. 2 seed Stanford Cardinals Tuesday night as the teams battled for a spot in the Final Four. The Cardinals struggled a little early as the Tarheels jumped out to a 10-point lead. Stanford closed the gap to six before the half. After the break, the Cardinals looked like a different team, executing well, playing a patient offense and looking for their star player, Chiney Ogwumike, inside. Ogwumike was held to just four points in the first half, but came to life in the second, scoring 16 points and grabbing key rebounds to help Stanford finish on top 74-65.

Nashville, Music City U.S.A., is set to play host as this year’s top four NCAA Women’s Basketball teams two-step into the home of country music. Action continues Sunday, April 6, as Stanford faces the defending champion UConn Huskies and Maryland goes head-to-head against a weakened Notre Dame, who will be without their leader Achonwa. The winners of each contest play Tuesday, April 8, for the national championship.

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Wambach trades Flash for Liberty

candy — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 17:15:10 +0000

BY LESBIAN.COM

In a move that left teammates and coaches stunned, Abby Wambach, star forward of the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) and Western New York Flash, announced plans to abandon her soccer career in favor of a roster spot on the WNBA’s New York Liberty.

At a press conference held Monday afternoon outside 140 Alex Bar and Grill, a gay and lesbian bar in her home town of Rochester, N.Y., Wambach said, “I can’t really explain it. I’m just tired of playing a sport where I never get to use my hands.”

The remark drew giggles and cheers from several lesbians gathered for the announcement.

The 5’11” Wambach last played basketball as a child in a recreational league in Pittsford, a Rochester suburb. Averaging two rebounds, three assists and six points per game as a nine-year-old, Wambach abandoned the court for the soccer field when she learned it was legal to score goals with her head, a move frowned upon for hoopsters.

“I was pretty good for my age back then,” said Wambach. “But my coaches were always all over me about getting technical fouls for using my header move to pop the ball in the basket instead of going for the conventional two-handed offensive rebound.”

Wambach went on to say that now, at age 33, she believes she possesses the discipline necessary to use her hands to rebound.

“Not only do I think I can give up the header move and use my hands,” said Wambach, “I’m very much looking forward to playing a sport where no kicking or heading the ball is allowed.”

Wambach will remain with the USWNT through its April 10 match against China PR in San Diego, Calif. After that, she’ll report to New York Liberty training camp on April 27 where she hopes to gain a spot as a guard on the team’s roster alongside the recently resigned Katie Smith.

When reached at his New York offices, New York Liberty general manager and head coach Bill Laimbeer said, “We’re ready to welcome Abby to the team. If nothing else, she’ll certainly help us sell some jerseys.”

Laimbeer believes Wambach’s greatest challenge will be overcoming the urge to slide-tackle opponents while dropping back on defense.

Happy April Fool’s Day!

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March Madness: A road map to the Sweet 16

candy — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 13:15:33 +0000

BY FARM SAETEURN
Lesbian.com

It’s not just the men who are generating a little March Madness nationwide and there’s good reason for that.

There was lots of action in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, including the nail biter between the No. 4 seeded Maryland Terrapins and No. 5 Texas Longhorns. This one featured 15 lead changes and seven tie scores during the game. In the end, it was Maryland who held on to beat Texas 69-64 in the last minute moving on to the Sweet 16.

The No. 4 North Carolina Tarheels made a screaming comeback from their first-round game in which they barely squeezed by No. 13 Tennessee-Martin. Freshman Diamond DeShields, who set the ACC single-season freshman scoring record, definitely puts the “pop” in popcorn! Keep an eye on this veteran-like player the remainder of the tournament — and the rest of her career. She scored 24 points in the Tarheels’ second-round match-up to help topple No. 5 seed Michigan State, 62-53.

The defending champs and a No. 1 seed, UConn, easily breezed past an outmatched No. 9 St. Joseph’s, 91-52, with their most consistent player Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis registering a nice “triple double.” Mosqueda-Lewis tallied 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Baboom! She’s like Nelly Furtado; everyone wants her on their team.

In a big upset, 12th seeded BYU beat No. 4 seed Nebraska with the help of ten 3-pointers. The BYU women will be making their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2002.

LSU and West Virginia provided another second round barn burner. The game was neck-and-neck until the last two minutes when No. 7 LSU pulled ahead of the No. 2 Lady Mountaineers, securing the 76-67 upset.

Also noteworthy (primarily because I’m a proud Bay Area sports fanatic) No. 2 Stanford unsurprisingly ousted No. 10 Florida State with an impressive defensive performance and a 30-2 run. The final was 63-44. The Cardinals come back to the Bay Area on Sunday to take on No. 3 Penn State.

Joining Maryland, North Carolina, UConn, BYU, LSU, Penn State and Stanford to round out the Sweet 16 will be Notre Dame, Oregon State, Kentucky, Baylor, Texas A&M, DePaul, Oklahoma State, Purdue and Louisville. Sweet 16 play is set for March 29 and 30 and is sure to provide much more Action Jackson!

You can follow Farm Saeteurn on Twitter @itsfarmhello.

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NCAAW tournament brackets set

candy — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 14:00:44 +0000

BY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

The 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship is set to get underway and the 64-team dance card is full. UConn, Notre Dame, Tennessee and South Carolina each garnered No. 1 seeds in the tournament which is set to begin Saturday, March 22.

Connecticut (34-0) and Notre Dame (32-0) come into the tourney undefeated, only the second time in Division I women’s basketball history that two teams have entered the tournament with unblemished records. Each won their regular season and conference tournament titles, propelling them into their top seed positions. UConn ruled the American Athletic Conference while Notre Dame took its toll on Atlantic Coast Conference opponents.

Tennessee (27-5) and South Carolina (27-4) both come out of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) where Tennessee earned the conference tournament championship and South Carolina nabbed the regular season championship.

Tennessee is the all-time tournament appearance leader, having participated in all 33 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championships. Second on the list is Georgia with 31 tourney entrances. Georgia is the No. 8 seed in the Lincoln bracket atop which sits UConn, the 2013 tournament champion.

Four schools will be “dancing” for the first time as Akron, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wright State all earned their first bid to the NCAAW Basketball Division I championship.

UConn and Tennessee will each be hoping to add to their record eight NCAAW Basketball Championship national titles as action gets started this weekend at 16 locations across the country.

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UConn women’s basketball welcomes lesbian players

candy — Sat, 02 Nov 2013 18:45:04 +0000

BY LUCY HALLOWELL
AfterEllen

We told you about Br{ache the Silence (BTS) last month. The organization is working to end discrimination and homophobia in women’s sports and has just put out its first video in its Tour of Champions. The Tour’s purpose is to use NCAA Champion teams and individuals to send the message that LGBTQ athletes are welcome in women’s sports at its highest levels.