Stephany Lee, right, and her wife, Brigg McDonald
Stephany Lee had an amazing weekend in Iowa. First, she won a berth to the U.S. Olympic women's wrestling team. She then got married to her partner Brigg McDonald in Cedar Rapids, with Iowa being a state that allows gay marriage. “It was an opportune time,” Lee said in a New York Times article written by our friend John Branch.
What's great about the story is how routine it all is — Lee thanked her "wife" in comments to reporters after winning her Olympic berth and the comment went unnoticed. The wedding took all of five minutes before McDonald's two children, a teammate and a friend. Lee, 27, has been out since high school and her parents are totally supportive. In this case, routine is progress.
Stephany Lee, right, and her wife, Brigg McDonald
Stephany Lee had an amazing weekend in Iowa. First, she won a berth to the U.S. Olympic women's wrestling team. She then got married to her partner Brigg McDonald in Cedar Rapids, with Iowa being a state that allows gay marriage. “It was an opportune time,” Lee said in a New York Times article written by our friend John Branch.
What’s great about the story is how routine it all is — Lee thanked her “wife” in comments to reporters after winning her Olympic berth and the comment went unnoticed. The wedding took all of five minutes before McDonald’s two children, a teammate and a friend. Lee, 27, has been out since high school and her parents are totally supportive. In this case, routine is progress.
“I am who I am, and I’m not going to hide it,” Lee said Monday. “I’m not going to dress like a girl to fit an image. No, I’m me. I’m happy. That’s all that matters.”
She pondered whether such frankness about her sexuality would make her a sports pioneer of sorts among gays — a more influential one, of course, should she win a medal. She is considered a contender, not a favorite.
“I’m not trying to be a spokesperson for lesbians as an athlete,” Lee said. “I’m just being me. Whatever comes of it is fine.”
By just being herself, Lee is a role model since that's all we can ask of anyone. I loved her reason for getting legally married, the importance of it being sanctioned by society:
“I wear a ring, and I have been wearing a ring,” Lee said before Monday’s ceremony. “I know I want to be with her the rest of my life. This is a validation of that.”
Photo: Stephany Lee (blue) wrestles Kristie Davis (red) in the 72 kg freestyle weight class during the wrestling Olympic trials in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images.
