Angel McCoughtry, the star forward for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and Olympic gold medalist, came out as gay with fiancée Brande Elise last year after an alleged dispute with her overseas team during the U.S. off-season. “With all the energy I felt this was something I had to do and I wasn’t thinking about the effects it would have on my career,” she said.
Since coming out, she has lost friendships and disappointed family members, but despite the ongoing chaos, McCoughtry has continued to push forward with her life. McCoughtry has been playing in Istanbul, Turkey, for the past seven years and considers it to be her second home.
“It was definitely a culture shock because there was no diversity. Everyone was looking at me different because I was the only Black person walking down the street,” she says.
McCoughtry has also been selected to return for a second time and play in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil after she helped Team USA take home gold medals at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
“It would be perfect to win a gold medal and then bring a championship to Atlanta. I want to not only be the first team to do it but be the first professional women’s team to do it,” she says.
In addition, to her hectic work schedule abroad, she is set to star in the reality series, “Living Out Loud.” The show will focus on the lives of several high-profile LGBTQ couples. McCoughtry compares the show to a gay version of “The Real Housewives.” She hopes to share her personal love story to inspire others to live out loud and be comfortable with their own truth.The network the show will air on has not been released yet, but she anticipates the show will make its debut sometime next year.
For more information on Angel McCoughtry follow her on Instagram @mcCoughtry.
