The world of sports has had a history of having an anti-LGBT rhetoric, however when a situation related to our community hits home for certain athletes, all of that goes out the door as we do what it takes to support our flesh and blood.
Detroit Pistons star Reggie Bullock is doing that and then some in honor of his transgender sister, Mia Henderson, who was found stabbed to death in Baltimore back in 2014. Bullock said that her body was so badly beaten that police initially could not identify her body.
The popular NBA player, who previously played on the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers, has now pledged to take a stand for transgender rights & acceptance. He recently hosted a Pride Night at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena and is also joining Athlete Ally, an organization that educates & activates athletic communities to eliminate homophobia & transphobia in sports.
The Detroit Pistons shared a video of him talking about his sister Mia, and his regrets when he was younger for not inviting her to his college basketball games in fear of what his teammates would say. He's now doing a complete 180 by working with Athlete Ally & GLAAD to take a stand for trans people and their rights.
“What happened to Reggie Bullock’s sister Mia Henderson was a tragedy and shouldn’t happen to anyone,” said Nick Adams, GLAAD’s director of transgender media and representation. “But the fact that Reggie Bullock wants to use this as an opportunity to talk about his support for LGBT people, and especially for transgender women, is really incredible.”
“It’s really about what you believe, what you stand for,” exclaimed Bullock. “I think if my sister wasn’t a part of that community and nothing like this totally ever happened, I still feel like I would probably be a leader to be able to stand up for that community.”
See the video below: