Some of the most exciting recent LGBTQ parenting news is that not one but two queer couples in women’s pro basketball are expanding their families! Watch a short film about one couple’s experience and see photos here.
The baby of WNBA player Breanna Stewart and Marta Xargay Casademont, a Spanish pro player and former WNBA player, was born one day after Stewart won gold at the Tokyo Olympics. Stewart had frozen her eggs while she had time off because of an injury in 2019. She called it “one of the best decisions I’ve made.” She and Xargay then had to plan carefully in order to have their baby after the Olympics—and clearly lucked out. Their baby was born just after Stewart returned from Tokyo.
The couple worked with media company TOGETHXR and Bleacher Report to create a short film about their experience, which you can watch below. It’s full of adorable moments, like testing out the stroller with their dog and placing Stewart’s gold medal around the baby—but also offers insight into what they went through in order to balance family and careers, and how they are going to be open and honest with their child about her birth via surrogate. Thanks to them for sharing their story with the world.
Stewart and Xargay aren’t the only women’s pro players to be expanding their family this year, though. Stewart’s fellow Tokyo gold medalist and WNBA player Diana Taurasi and her spouse Penny Taylor, a former WNBA player and coach, are expecting their second child in October. They already have a three-year-old.
Being a parent and an elite athlete is tough, and the burden has historically fallen hardest on women, as NPR reports (though I’ll add that the obstacles can also apply to transgender and nonbinary athletes, especially those who give birth). In just one example, sponsor Nike tried to cut the pay of sprinter Allyson Felix after she became a mother. She left Nike and is now working with her new sponsor, Athleta, and the Women’s Sports Foundation, to offer grants that help pay for childcare for professional athlete moms.
Congratulations to Stewart, Xargay, Taurasi, and Taylor on their growing families, and may sponsors, leagues, and sports associations further increase their support for parent athletes of all genders.
(Yes, I’m a little late in reporting this news, but I’ve been busy getting ready to take my son to college. He’s now safely ensconced, so thanks for your patience!)