Who is NBA referee Che Flores? Looking at first out nonbinary trans official in league

The NBA is at the forefront of being inclusive. One of the ways this can be seen is through the NBA referees who come from various backgrounds. Additionally, the NBA holds the honor of being the first major sports league to have a woman officiate a game.

This happened in 1997 when Violet Palmer refereed the season opener between the Dallas Mavericks and the Grizzlies who called Vancouver their home back then. Later on, Palmer also became the first openly gay referee when she came out in 2014.

Throughout her career, Violet Palmer had many of the firsts for female referees in the NBA, making her a trailblazer for women everywhere.

Now, another individual is aiming to carve a path for themselves and for any who might follow. Che Flores has become the first NBA referee to come out publicly as nonbinary trans.

In an interview with GQ Sports, Che Flores talked about how they came out. In September, Flores came out to their colleagues. They said that doing so felt liberating as they could finally dress in whatever clothes they feel comfortable in.

"When I started refereeing, you had to look a certain way. This is the first time I'm comfortable expressing myself through my own fashion and not having to worry about it." Flores said. "I feel one hundred percent myself now."

To some, it might just be clothes. But for NBA referee Che Flores, it means a lot to be able to dress in a way that they feel at ease in.

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NBA referee Che Flores was hurt by being misgendered

Before coming out as nonbinary, the people around Che Flores misgendered them as a woman and used the she/her pronouns to refer to them.

"One piece I was missing for myself was that no one knew how I identified," Flores said in the same interview with GQ. "Being misgendered as she/her always just felt like a little jab in the gut."

Now that they have come out as nonbinary, they feel more secure in themself.

"I can go through the world and even my job a lot more comfortably." They said.

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What is Che Flores' background?

Che Flores is from Highland Park, Los Angeles. According to the NBA's Referees Association website, they were born on July 18, 1979. Before coming out as nonbinary, they went by the name Cheryl.

Flores officiated in the WNBA for ten seasons and in the G-league for nine. They have also worked in different collegiate competitions in the past. Prior to this season, they refereed twelve regular season games as a non-staff.

This upcoming season will be their first year as an NBA referee.