Seimone Augustus discusses same-sex marriage on ESPN
Former LSU basketball star Seimone Augustus speaks out about same-sex marriage as the subject of Wednesday’s “Outside the Lines” at 2 p.m. on ESPN.
Augustus, a two-time Olympian seeking her second gold medal, is pursuing a more personal goal of getting married to her longtime partner. Openly gay, Augustus and LaTaya Varner plan to share nuptials in Minneapolis next spring, but that opportunity could be in jeopardy if Minnesota passes an amendment that would define marriage as a union only between opposite sex couples.
During the interview with “Outside the Lines,” Augustus, a Baton Rouge native who led LSU to three Women’s Final Four appearances, tells reporter Michele Steele that people in her hometown have a hard time coming to grips with same-sex relationships.
“I’m 28 years old and I still have yet to see a gay or lesbian couple walk down the street and be openly gay in the South, at least where I’m from,” Augustus said. “We’re still getting over black and white issues down South so to think that they’re ready to accept open gay and lesbian people would be a bit of stretch.”
Augustus shared her plans to marry Varner in a magazine article before beginning the WNBA season. In June, she served as co-grand marshal of a gay rights parade in Minneapolis.
“No concerns about it impacting my career,” Augustus says in the interview. “I didn’t even think about it because I was on such a high note as far as being happy with who I am, it didn’t really matter what anybody else thought.”
After leading the Minnesota Lynx to its first WNBA title last season, Augustus held averages of 15.4 points and 3.7 rebounds before taking a break to compete in her second Olympics.