US soccer player Megan Rapinoe continues to break down boundaries for queer women in professional sport, becoming the first openly gay woman to be photographed for Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition.
Captain of the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT), Rapinoe celebrated the magazine's efforts in diversifying models, saying that it was no longer "only for heterosexual males".
Speaking to , she said that she hoped to help challenge the stereotypes and boundaries faced by LGBTIQ+ people.
“I think so often with gay females in sports there’s this particular stereotype about it and there’s such a narrow view of what it means to be gay and be athletic," she said.
"So, to kind of just blow that up and and do something totally different I think is really important.”
She added: “I think our view is still way too narrow of gay people in general. Stereotypes still very much persist and they are just such incomplete views of who we really are as people, so I think for that reason it’s really important to just continue to push those boundaries."
Sharing snaps on her social media accounts, Rapinoe said she was going for a "rocker, goddess" look for the coveted shoot.
Appearing in popular magazines isn't completely foreign to the soccer star. In 2018, she appeared on the cover of ESPN’s The Body Issue with girlfriend and WBNA player Sue Bird.
