For several years women’s basketball coach Curt Miller and I had talked about doing a “coming out” story on him. Given how much people talk about homophobia in sports, and the fearmongering that goes on amongst the media and social media on the topic, it was always understandable why Miller would shy away from it.

Last year he took the leap and came out publicly after being named the head coach of the Connecticut Sun. Now that team has given him even more control of the team, appointing him the franchise general manager as well.

“This was really important for two reasons,” said Sun president Mitchell Etess, according to WNBA.com. “One, it showed our confidence in Curt and his coaching staff for the job they’ve done this year. And two, it sends a message to our players, and to the entire basketball community, that there is no change in the direction of the franchise.”

Along with the incredible success Rick Welts, an openly gay NBA executive, has had with the Gold State Warriors, you have to continue to wonder how much the screams of homophobia in professional basketball are real, and how much they just need out LGBT people to shine the light on the equality in the sport.

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