When Brittney Griner revealed her desire to “be a leader in the LGBT community”

Over the past few months, Brittney Griner has been one of the most talked about names in the sports world. After being imprisioned in Russia back in February of 2022, she was recently brought back to the United States following a prisoner exchange executed by president Joe Biden.

Before the traumatic experience went down, the WNBA star was trying to make an impact in her community. Primarily by working with LGBT groups.

Over the course of her career, Brittney Griner has been married twice. She first wed fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson in 2015, but the two split up a year later. Griner then married Cherelle Griner in 2019. The two met during their time in college, but their romance didn't spark until years later.

At the 2015 Human Rights Campaign Houston Gala, Brittney Griner opened up on wanting to help those in the LGBT community.

"I wanna be a leader in the LGBT community. So I just want to do something positive. Encourage all youth, elder, doesn't matter what age group you fall in. It's never too late, it's never too early to come out."

LGBTQ groups respond to Brittney Griner being released from Russian prison

Early on during the Brittney Griner saga, many spoke out about how the situation wasn't getting enough attention. Among the biggest supporters of the WNBA star was the LGBTQ community.

Once the news became official that she was coming home, many within the community spoke out on the news. Among those was Kierra Johnson, who is the executive director of the LGBTQ Task Force.

“From day one, our hearts have been with Brittney Griner, her wife Cherelle, her family and countless fans. So many raised their voices to call for her return, a movement to #freeBG that included the WNBA, the LGBTQ community around the world and millions of fans and others.”

Another prominent figure to give a statement was Victoria Kirby York. She is the director of the Black National Justice Coalition, a black LGBTQ civil rights organization.

“Make no mistake, Griner was detained in Russia on trumped up charges and leveraged as a political prisoner because of her identity as an American. The fact that Griner was both Black and LGBTQ+ made her even more of a target and the treatment that she faced in the Russian Court system even more horrific.”

Seeing how dedicated the community was to shine a light on her situation proves how important of a figure she is to the group as a whole.