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Living under the spotlight for most of my adult life has been a journey, one filled with waves of excitement, novelty, and joy. But as time went on, I realized that being seen all the time comes with a cost. Every move, every word, someone always has something to say. Things get twisted, taken out of context, and suddenly, you&#8217;re not just living, you’re performing. It felt like I was at work 24/7.
I’ve made mistakes. Who hasn’t? But being in the public eye doesn’t make me any less human. People often forget that. They put us on pedestals and expect us to be perfect. But the truth is, nobody is perfect. We all stumble. We all grow.
Over time, I’ve learned the power of picking and choosing when to be vulnerable. Not every moment is meant to be shared. Some things are sacred. Some things are just for me. And that’s how I protect my peace. Vulnerability is powerful… but only when it’s real, intentional, and safe. But I’ve also learned the hard way that growth doesn’t come from comfort, so I challenge myself. I look at things from new angles. I ask, “What can I do better?” And slowly, I’ve started getting it right more often than not.
I don’t live my life trying to be a role model. I just live. But if someone sees something in me that inspires them, I’m honored. That means the world. But I’ve found that the best way to inspire others is to be unapologetically myself. Not perfect. Not polished. Just real. Just me.
To anyone out there who’s afraid to live openly, to love loudly, to be fully themselves, I see you. I’ve been you. I know what it’s like to try to fit into a mold that was never meant for you. To go home every night feeling like you left pieces of yourself behind just to make others comfortable. But here’s the truth: they’re not thinking about you the way you think they are. So why give them that power?
Be you. Whatever that looks like: coming out, embracing your truth, it’s all a process. But it’s worth it. You only get one life. Don’t waste it trying to be someone else.
Brittney Griner

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Pride in Me: 'Flaws and All' by Brittney Griner

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Who is AD Durr? Allow me to reintroduce myself.
I’m a person who is truthful and who doesn’t care about what people think about themselves. But this wasn’t always the case.
I used to care way too much about what people thought and said about me because I wanted to be liked by everybody. But as I began to find myself, not everybody could see what I was trying to say, so a lot of people were disrespectful toward me because of it. I had to put in work with my family and therapist to really dig deep and figure out who I am, but also understand that by voicing that, people are gonna be disrespectful towards me too. I had to choose between making myself or everybody else happy and ultimately chose myself.
I’ve gone through a lot of peaks and valleys to get here. My battle with long COVID really played a role in that and challenged me as a person. When I was at home for two years, not able to do anything, I feel like God sat me down and forced me to look inward and figure out who I am. I think that’s what really pushed me to identify myself as who I see myself as.
I knew it was time to reintroduce myself to the world in the fall of 2021 when I started to work with my therapist. We talked a lot about “Who am I?” It really made me think about how I’ve always felt that I didn’t always want to be called ‘she’ or ‘her,’ but I never dug deep to really figure out why. So when she asked me that question, I realized I was just going with the flow of things in my personal life. I was like, “Wow.” It came naturally and wasn’t planned in how the conversation took place.
Once that happened, I really understood, “Who cares if people don’t like that? Who cares if people think you’re different or weird? This is for your comfort.” That’s what really helped me turn a corner and know that it’s okay to be me, even if it’s not the same as everybody else.
But you don’t figure things out, and then *poof*, everything is great. As I mentioned before, there are peaks and valleys. These last few years have been very challenging for me. But the highs of getting drafted, beating long COVID, and being able to come back home to play and be a part of a franchise that’s genuine, cares about me, and wants the best for me on and off the court, have helped me find my happy place again.
I think my journey has helped people too. I’ve had a ton of people who have come up to me and told me they go by the same pronouns. I’m grateful that my struggles and my challenges can help people out.
If you’re grappling with your identity, my words of advice are to just be you. 
I know it’s hard to do that in this world because it can be really mean, but really just be you. Don’t care about what people think either, because nine times out of ten, what that person thinks about you means nothing. Their validation means nothing. Do what makes YOU happy and live your life for you because years will go by, and you’ll look up and be like, “Damn. Where’d the time go?” 
So live life for you. Be you. Don’t think being yourself is wrong, even if it’s something different than somebody else’s perspective. And just be happy because life is so short, and I feel like we lose sight of that. 
Do what makes you happy, be happy, and smile.
AD Durr

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Pride In Me: 'Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself' by AD Durr

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Curt Miller has lived with no shame or fear as an openly gay basketball coach for years. 
His authenticity, self-love, and self-acceptance made him a team and fan favorite in basketball.
But he didn’t always want that to be the only way people defined him.
“This month, Pride Month is so important to me because, for the longest time, I didn’t want to be known as ‘the gay coach,’” Miller said. “I wanted to be known as the successful coach. As I look at the back of my career now, I’ve come full circle to where I do want my legacy to be that I successfully navigated team sports at the highest level as a gay male.
“My legacy down the stretch of my career is no longer wins and championships. I really have transitioned into my legacy,” Miller continued. “I do want to use my platform. I do want to use my visibility and representation as a gay male so that you can not only reach the pinnacle of pro sports as a gay male &#8211; you can thrive at it.”
“I want to be that role model for the next generations of gay male coaches that are right now wondering if they can continue to chase their dream. I want them to know that they certainly can.”
Miller, 54, known for his rimmed glasses and snazzy shirts, has blazed a successful trail in the collegiate and professional basketball world. He’s currently in his first season as head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks after seven seasons with the Connecticut Sun. Before joining the Sun in 2016, Miller was an assistant coach with the Sparks in 2015.
He led the Sun to the Finals in 2019 and 2022, where they lost to the Las Vegas Aces. During his seven-year run in Connecticut, the team made the playoffs for six years. Miller’s record was 140-86, and he was named the WNBA Coach of the Year twice (2017, 2021). He also served as the Sun general manager and was named the league’s Executive of the Year in 2017.
Before joining the professional ranks, Miller coached college ball at Bowling Green and Indiana from 2001 to 2014. He had successful tenures at both schools and was proudly, openly gay, and was adamant that everyone was aware.
“I became comfortable in my own skin and started living authentically and out in the coaching profession during my collegiate coaching days as an assistant coach,” Miller recalls. “And when I had the opportunity to start interviewing for head coaching college jobs, I was very honest with all the potential employers and the people interviewing me that I was an openly gay male, and at the time had a partner and we were raising twin boys.”
“Again, it was very important to me that they understood that my family was/is really important to me and that it was part of my package.”
He got the Bowling Green job in 2001, with everyone in the women’s basketball circles aware that he was openly gay. 
“I was out in the women’s basketball circle. Obviously, the administration, the fan base, and the recruits all knew I had a partner and was raising twin boys, but no one at that point approached me about a national story, and I never felt compelled to seek an opportunity to be more publicly out,” Miller said. 
“I was comfortable. I lived authentically. Everyone knew in the basketball circles. The women’s basketball landscape knew I was an openly gay male as a head coach, but not very many other people did.”
After rebuilding Bowling Green into a mid-major powerhouse, he landed what he said was then his dream job in the Big 10 at Indiana University. He introduced his then-long-time partner and twins at the introductory press conference “and continued to live very authentically and openly as a gay man in college basketball.”
His status as an openly gay basketball coach did not truly hit public attention until an article in Outsports.com in late 2015, shortly after accepting the Sun job, even though he had been open in college basketball since the late 90s. One in the New York Times followed that article, essentially letting the world know what so many already did.
His successes on the court are well-documented, and he’s lived just as successfully and happily away from the court as an openly gay male who understands the importance of role models and visibility in the gay community. 
“I am passionate about the next generation. I’m passionate about giving back. I’m passionate about being that trailblazer role model for others that they can thrive in team sports, and in particular, in my case, I want them to know they can thrive in basketball,” Miller said.
“My platform and visibility are so much more important. I’ve come full circle with how important this month is but also just what potentially my legacy can be. In the sport of basketball, men’s college basketball, Division 1 women’s college ball, G-league, NBA, and WNBA, there are over  770 teams and franchises, and I am still the only gay male head coach in the sport of basketball men or women’s at the highest level of our sport,” he said.
This is why he feels an onus, a burden if you will, about being the role model, the inspiration, the representation, and the example for others like him. 
“This month, Pride Month, is important to me because I continually hear from gay male coaches wondering if they can navigate and have the opportunities of advancement in our great game. And I’ve watched over the last decade too many gay male coaches give up the dream and worry that they could advance in our sport or in men’s basketball and drop out. 
“I carry the burden and feel pressure to hoist that (championship) trophy, that final rung on the ladder more than anything because I want the decision-makers, those people around the table deciding on next coaches, on next GMs that gay men can succeed at the highest level of team sports and, especially in my case, at basketball,” Miller said. 
“I want to see the younger generation, the next young gay male that is trying to have a career in team sports at the highest level that they can do it,” Miller continued. “I do carry that with me and feel that, but I look at that as an incredible responsibility and opportunity, and now while I feel it, I welcome that and feel it will be a big part of my legacy.”
WNBA reporter Dorothy J. Gentry writes a column on <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://wnba.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WNBA.com</a> throughout the season and can be reached on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/dorothyjgentry">@DorothyJGentry</a>. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.

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Pride in Me: Curt Miller's Drive to Inspire

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The WNBA celebrates LGBTQ+ Pride Month throughout June with activities and initiatives that empower players, teams, fans, and employees to share their voices and create a more inclusive environment around the game and in their communities.
WNBA PRIDE UNITY COLLECTION
As part of WNBA Pride, the WNBA Pride Unity Collection, featuring limited-edition  merchandise from Fanatics, Playa Society, and ISlide.
A portion of all proceeds from the sales of these products will be donated to LGBTQ+ charitable organizations, including Athlete Ally.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-177936 alignnone" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Pride-shirt-1.png" alt="" width="225" height="225" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Pride-shirt-1.png 418w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Pride-shirt-1-300x300.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Pride-shirt-1-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" /><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-177937 alignnone" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Pride-shirt-2.png" alt="" width="225" height="225" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Pride-shirt-2.png 407w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Pride-shirt-2-300x300.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Pride-shirt-2-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" /><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-177938 alignnone" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Pride-shirt-3.png" alt="" width="225" height="225" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Pride-shirt-3.png 405w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Pride-shirt-3-300x300.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Pride-shirt-3-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" />
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-177939 aligncenter" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/PrideStore.png" alt="" width="409" height="147" />
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-177941" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture6-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="182" height="182" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture6-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture6-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture6.jpg 328w" sizes="(max-width: 182px) 100vw, 182px" /><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-177942" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture7-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="182" height="182" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture7-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture7-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture7.jpg 340w" sizes="(max-width: 182px) 100vw, 182px" /><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-177943" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture8-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="182" height="182" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture8-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture8-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture8.jpg 340w" sizes="(max-width: 182px) 100vw, 182px" /><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-177944 alignnone" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture9-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="182" height="182" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture9-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture9-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture9.jpg 340w" sizes="(max-width: 182px) 100vw, 182px" />
Fanatics and the WNBA collaborated on an exclusive line of Pride apparel featuring WNBA T-shirts, including City Pride t-shirts for all 12 teams. The WNBA will donate all proceeds from the sale of each WNBA Pride t-shirt directly to Athlete Ally, who believes that everyone should have equal access, opportunity, and experience in sports, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Fanatics will donate $25,000 directly to Athlete Ally.
Fans can purchase these shirts at <a href="https://wnbastore.nba.com/">WNBAStore.com</a>.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-177945 alignnone" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture10-300x300.png" alt="" width="244" height="244" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture10-300x300.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture10-150x150.png 150w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture10.png 385w" sizes="(max-width: 244px) 100vw, 244px" />                 <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-177946 alignnone" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture11.png" alt="" width="370" height="370" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture11.png 467w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture11-300x300.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture11-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 370px) 100vw, 370px" />
Playa Society is powered by who they inspire and works to bridge the gap for women’s sports. In collaboration with the WNBA, designer Esther Wallace has created this custom t-shirt for WNBA Pride 2023.
Fans can purchase the t-shirt starting on Friday, June 2 <a href="https://www.playasociety.com/collections/playa-society-x-wnba">here</a>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-177947" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture12.png" alt="" width="230" height="230" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture12.png 273w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture12-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 230px) 100vw, 230px" />                                              <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-177948" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture13.png" alt="" width="210" height="374" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture13.png 262w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2023/06/Picture13-169x300.png 169w" sizes="(max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px" />
ISlide’s mission is to inspire individuality and pride through customization. ISlide gives every customer the chance to stand in what they stand for by wearing custom slides that are an extension of self-expression.
Fans can purchase the custom WNBA Pride slides at <a href="https://islideusa.com/collections/wnba-pride">https://islideusa.com/collections/wnba-pride</a>.