‘Be true to who you are:’ Katie Sowers makes Super Bowl history as gay, female coach
A San Francisco 49ers assistant coach will make history as the first openly gay and first female to work in the Super Bowl when the Niners face the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb 2 in Miami.
Katie Sowers became the second female coach in the NFL when she was hired by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, according to NBC Bay Area.
“No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are,” Sowers told Outsports in 2017. “There are so many people who identify as LGBT in the NFL, as in any business, that do not feel comfortable being public about their sexual orientation.
“The more we can create an environment that welcomes all types of people, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, the more we can help ease the pain and burden that many carry every day,” she said.
Sowers said that she’s been discriminated against for the sexuality in the past, according to Business Insider. She came out as gay in 2017.
“I was turned down for a volunteer, unpaid coaching position at my former college because of my lifestyle,” she said. “I remember holding back tears and calling my mom right away.”
Sowers grew up in Hesston, Kansas, and played with the Kansas City Titans of the Women’s Football Alliance, according to the Kansas City Star. She was also the athletic director for Kansas City Parks and Recreation.
She then went to Atlanta through the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship, which is how she caught the attention of Shanahan, the Kansas City Star reported. Sowers is an offensive assistant with the 49ers.
“If your daughter has a dream of being a football coach in the NFL... or a ballerina... or a professional soccer player.. or a teacher.. or a nurse.. or a doctor.. or an astronaut.. or even PRESIDENT.. just let her know this... She. Can. Do. It,” Sowers tweeted a few days before the 49ers beat the Green Bay Packers to secure their Super Bowl spot. “And she will change the world.”
This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 9:51 AM with the headline "‘Be true to who you are:’ Katie Sowers makes Super Bowl history as gay, female coach."