Becky Burke, the head women’s basketball coach at the University of Buffalo, interrupted practice on Monday to take care of something important: She proposed to her girlfriend, Savannah Lesesne.
“Life update,” Burke tweeted on Monday, along with joyous shots of the proposal.
No wedding date has been set, the Buffalo News reported, and it will likely be after the season since coaching can be all-consuming.
What’s so cool about the proposal is that it came in front of the team and to see the players’ expressions of joy are marvelous. I agree with writer Lindsay Gibbs on the import of the announcement:
“For so long, queer college coaches — even in the wbb — have been very private about their personal lives for fear of how it would impact recruiting. This matters.”
It does matter. So many lesbian coaches have gone through their careers closeted, afraid of the ramifications of coming out. Burke, whose social media accounts are filled with loving images of her and Lesesne, shows a new generation of out coaches finding strength in being themselves.
Burke played at Louisville, helping the Cardinals to the women’s final in 2009. She took over at Buffalo this season and has a 3-4 record with the Bulls.
