Brittney Griner Claims College Coach Told Her To Hide Sexuality

In a new interview with ESPN, Brittney Griner has revealed that Baylor University head coach Kim Mulkey asked her to conceal the fact that she was gay and claimed that not doing so might jeopardize recruitment for the team. 

ESPN reports:

In a series of interviews -- including one on camera Friday -- for an ESPN The Magazine and espnW.com story set to hit newsstands later this month, Griner said her silence during college was because Mulkey and her staff were concerned about the program's image.

"It was more of a unwritten law [to not discuss your sexuality] ... it was just kind of, like, one of those things, you know, just don't do it," Griner said Friday. "They kind of tried to make it, like, 'Why put your business out on the street like that?'" 

But Griner reiterated on Friday that her sexuality was an open secret at Baylor.

"I told Coach [Mulkey] when she was recruiting me. I was like, 'I'm gay. I hope that's not a problem,' and she told me that it wasn't," Griner said. "I mean, my teammates knew, obviously they all knew. Everybody knew about it."

Watch the ESPN interview with Griner, in which she addresses the above, AFTER THE JUMP.

Girl Arrested and Expelled From High School Over Gay Relationship

Earlier this school year, Florida’s Sebastian River High School senior Kaitlyn Hunt began a relationship with a fellow classmate, a 15-year old girl. This past February, soon after her 18th birthday, she was arrested and charged with two felony counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12–16 years of age.

Hunt's parents claim the the family of their daughter's girlfriend has never approved of the same-sex relationship and has since made Hunt a target. According to The Examiner:

“They are out to destroy my daughter, because they feel like she ‘made’ their daughter gay. They see being gay as wrong and they blame my daughter. Of course, I see it 100% differently. I don’t see or label these girls as gay. They are teenagers in high school experimenting with their sexuality – with mutual consent. And even if their daughter is gay, who cares? She is still their daughter.”

The other girl's family has taken even more action against Hunt: "The girl’s family petitioned the school board and got Kaitilyn expelled from school, weeks before graduation. This decision was made in spite of a judge declaring she could continue to attend school as long as she didn’t have contact with the girl."

More from Opposing Views, who reports on a plea deal that Hunt has been offered:

Her mother, Kelley Hunt Smith, claims State Attorney Brian Workman offered her daughter a plea deal that she has until Friday to accept or face trial. The plea deal includes “two years house arrest and one year probation.”

Her father, Steven R. Hunt, said the school disapproved of the relationship from the beginning. Hunt reportedly had good grades and participated in cheerleading, chorus and basketball. She was voted “most school spirited.” But when she began dating another girl from the basketball team, her coach dropped her citing that the relationship would cause “drama.”

Hunt's family has started a petition on Change.org (which has so far netted over 36,000 signatures) as well as a Free Kate Facebook page. 

News: Jake Gyllenhaal, Stonewall, Minnesota, Tumblr, Russia

 Game of Thrones set to end after its seventh season.

 Jake Gyllenhaal strolls around SoHo in disguise.

 A comic book about Stonewall will hits stands on the 44th anniversary of the riots. Watch a trailer here.

 Singer and Daft Punk collaborator Romanthony dead at 46.

 Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson might be done.

 Neighbourhood Watch survey inquires whether responder is gay, bisexual or straight: "The questionnaire by West Midlands Police asked residents in Birmingham questions about their sexual orientation so they could help officers 'detect crime and anti-social behaviour.'"

 80,000 expected to attend today's Long Beach Pride parade.

Pride communion celebrates marriage equality in Minnesota: "Revolution Church in Minneapolis served congregants rainbow-colored communion bread during its inaugural service last Sunday."

 European Union asks Russia to not move forward with "gay propaganda" bill: "'The EU called on Russia to refrain from adopting federal legislation on ‘homosexual propaganda,’ which it believed could increase discrimination and violence against LGBTI individuals,' the EU said in a statement on its website. The statement referred to the results of a meeting on May 17 in Brussels between Russian and EU diplomats on human rights issues."

 Yahoo will fork over $1.1 billion dollars for Tumblr.

 Star Trek: Into Darkness has raked in over $84 million at the box office since it opened Wednesday.

Young Gay Boy Beaten In Hate Crime Attack

Earlier this month, a gay 13-year-old boy was attacked by four teens who shouted "faggot" and "queer" as they pummeled him on the ground and threatened his life. The assault left the Canadian child with injuries on the left side of his body - mainly on his ribs, the kidney area and his arm.

The Chatham Daily News reports on the incident and the anonymous young teen, who, for the sake of this article, goes by the name "David."

“They were calling me names like 'faggot' and 'queer' and they were telling me that I should go to hell,” said David. “I tried to ignore them and I tried to go to the other side of the street, but then one kid pushed me back.”

He lost his balance and when he hit the ground the youths began to kick him, continuing their verbal onslaught. David curled up and did his best to protect his head from the blows, trying to figure how to get away.

“I was in a ball and sort of in shock,” he said. “I was thinking 'Wow, this really hurts.' It felt really long, but it probably only lasted 15 seconds-ish.” Even when the kicking stopped, the threats didn't.

“The leader of the group, he turned around pulled out a pocket knife,” David said. “(He) flipped it up and said 'If you tell anyone, then you're going to die.' And then he ran away.”

It appears as if David is surrounded by very supportive parents. Said the boy's father to his son:

“Thank God you're different because I wouldn't want you to be like those idiots,” he said. “I'm glad you are who you are. At least you're brave enough to be a real person.”

The Chatham-Kent Police are reportedly actively investigating this assault as a hate crime.

News: Meningitis, Puerto Rico, Rob Ford, China, Russia

Epidemiologists puzzled over NYC's Meningitis outbreak: "What is concerning is that it is largely restricted to men who have sex with men. So we don’t really understand why that is.” Have you been vaccinated?

Thousands marched in support of gay rights in the capital of Puerto Rico of San Juan: "Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz and Sen. Ramón Nieves Pérez, who sponsored the sweeping anti-LGBT non-discrimination bill the Senate on Thursday passed by a 15-11 vote margin, unfurled an LGBT Pride flag from the balcony of City Hall as marchers passed."

Britney Spears claims the leaked version of her upcoming single is just an early demo.

Colin Egglesfield knows how to wear a t-shirt.

North Korea launched three short-range guided missiles in a northeastern direction earlier today.

Sookie flips the paparazzi the bird.

The very first film to be adapted from a David Sedaris short story set to open Outfest.

Gawker wants to raise $200,000 so they can purchase and publish the videotape of anti-gay Toronto mayor Rob Ford smoking crack. Also, don't expect to hear Ford air his weekly radio show this weekend.

Some promising yet frustrating news out of China on the International Day Against Homophobia: "Activists said they felt encouraged when the communist party's official mouthpiece China Central Television published a Weibo post on Friday morning advocating respect for the LGBT community. But the post was soon deleted without any explanation."

Could Smell-O-Vision be coming back - in a mobile form?

Reacting disapprovingly to today's momentous legalization of same-sex marriage in France, Russia's Children's Rights Commissioner Pavel Astakhov said this morning that his country will now consider changing its child adoption policy with France.

Hateful Group Asks Parents To Keep Kids Home on Harvey Milk Day

This Wednesday is Harvey Milk Day in California; a day which is intended to celebrate this important gay rights activist. One conservative anti-gay organization, SaveCalifornia.com, is using radio ads airing in Sacramento and Los Angeles to urge parents to keep their kids home from school that day. Randy Thomasson, the president of the group explains his reasoning behind the illogical boycott:

According to the Sacramento Bee, the group's president, Randy Thomasson, says: "This is harmful to children...This is not academic, it's brainwashing." Thomasson also explained his feelings on the holiday to CBS13: “Children belong to the parents, not to the state, and to force a sexual agenda and a political agenda upon children, that’s highly inappropriate.”

What is highly inappropriate is the all of the information as well as a video posted on on the group's website which is full of hateful lies and anti-gay propaganda. The alarmist image above is from the group's website.

Watch a CBS13 news segment about the anti-gay campaign, AFTER THE JUMP.