Taylor Emery will be suiting up for Virginia Tech next season. The out lesbian had previously played at Tulane but left after the 2015-16 season. She was deciding between the Hokies and offers to play for Ole Miss and Oklahoma State.
She made the big announcement on Twitter, decked in her new Virginia Tech uniform:
Blessed to announce that I have decided to go to Hokie Nation. Never doubt yourself and always keep working. Look for #1 in the Burg 😝🏀🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/bbyHPKEj8E
— Taylor Emery (@tayemery01) April 30, 2017
This season Emery played community college ball at Gulf Coast State College in Florida. There she led the team to an NJCAA national championship and won the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association player of the year award for junior/community college players.
Emery has been a fixture of our LGBT College Sports Roundups, written by Erik Hall.
As a high school senior, Emery was the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches Player of the Year and the No. 2 scorer in the country.
Last season the Virginia Tech Hokies finished 20-14, losing to Michigan in the quarterfinals of the WNIT tournament; Michigan won the tournament championship. With the team’s top two scorers returning for another two seasons, watch out for the Hokies.
It’s particularly powerful that she’s headed to Virginia Tech and was heavily recruited by Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. None of these programs — in the South and Plain States — cared that she’s an out lesbian.
Her example, and the actions of these schools, will open the door for more LGBT athletes to be their true selves with less fear.
You can find Taylor Emery on Twitter @TayEmery01. She is also on Instagram @TayEmery01.
