Purdue's Horrocks opens up about being gay

Bree Horrocks is gay. She wants you to know that about her.

The Georgia native confessed to her parents about her sexuality when she was a junior at Buford High School. She was tired of hiding.

The freshman on the Purdue women's basketball team was asked to take part in a panel discussion earlier this week - Championing Equality: LGBTQ Athletes and Allies.

In agreeing, Horrocks would be coming out publicly. She was asked by Purdue's LGBTQ director Lowell Kane and former Boilermaker swimmer Ryan Dafforn to participate. There was very little hesitation because Horrocks is comfortable about who she is.

She was joined on the panel by former Boilermaker athletes Dorien Bryant (football) and Dafforn along with Chris Mosier, the first known openly transgender Ironman triathlete, and Dr. Heidi Lewis, Assistant Professor of Feminist and Gender Studies at Colorado College.

Dr. Sue Rankin, Senior research Associate in the center for higher Education and Associate Professor Emeritus of Education at Penn State, was the keynote speaker. Former Boilermaker basketball star Stephanie White, the head coach of the WNBA's Indiana Fever, provided a video message.

Horrocks is believed to be the first current Purdue student-athlete who is openly gay. Bryant and Dafforn came out after leaving school.

I caught up with Horrocks following the team's postseason banquet Tuesday night.

Question: What has the last 24 hours been like for you?

Answer: "It's quite different. Originally when I said yes to being on the panel I didn't think too much of it as a public coming out; I just thought of it as a way that I was helping a whole community of people. I didn't know it was going to be as big of a deal and then I realized (Tuesday) that I had 18 Twitter notifications. I was like, '18, that's about 17 higher than normal.' I went and looked and it was articles and tweets from people I don't know and tweets from my fellow panelists about courage and honor and it was all this great stuff that I didn't know was going to happen but it feels great. I'm real happy with everything.

Q: How did you arrive at the decision?

A: It was very swift. Lowell and Ryan Dafform both asked me, 'we're hosting a panel for student athletes and LGBTQ for championing equality and they flat out asked me would I like to be on the panel? I said, 'On the panel? 'Yes, would you like to speak on the issue?' Yes, of course. It's a chance to help people and I'm very passionate about people. It didn't come until later that I realized there are risks involved with coming out, especially the way that I did publicly. I was over them quickly. I talked with my support system, my family, my teammates. I accepted the risks, although they seem to be minimal to me in comparison to what I was doing for others. I carried on and did it.

Q: By doing this you're trying to pave the path for others, but do you feel others have paved the path for you?

A: Definitely. This title I'm receiving for being the first in history, but maybe they weren't presented with this opportunity. Other student athletes may have not been given this opportunity to speak the way I did. I know some were, but they were more reserved and said no because of the media attention and the other attention you would get from doing it. I have inspiration. I saw Brittney Griner's coming out on TV and I know of others in several different sports. I knew they did it and I know I could do it too. My support system here is great for me.

Q: How did your family react?

A: I came out to them my junior year of high school and it was more, I'll say this - there's found out and come out and it was more of the found out. I got lackadaisical in my actions and my mother - who I swear could be a CSI investigator - you have that feeling when it's coming and when I heard, 'Briana, come sit down for dinner' instead of 'grab your dinner and watch TV after practice' I was like, 'This is the day.' They asked me. I had the power of coming out because they presented me with a question. They weren't telling me, 'I know you're gay.' They asked me if I liked girls and I affirmed and I didn't want to lie anymore. It would've been more lying and more hiding. It was so exhausting to do that for as long as I did and to go through so many transitions and aspects of my life.

So, once they found out it was a process for them and me. They had to learn. It was a learning process. For the two weeks after I came out - I remember the specific day; it was Feb. 12 of my junior year and two days later we had Valentine's Day dinner together (with my parents). It was a little awkward because they were a little unsure of what was happening. They've been very supportive of me. My immediate family knows and pretty much my extended family in a short amount of time will know but I think the people who are supportive are the true ones that matter and are going to be with me.

Q: Did you feel like you needed to tell your teammates?

A: It wasn't so much that I needed to, but I personally don't say that me coming out to anyone or LGBTQ person coming out is someone else's right to have. I came into college wanting to be out. People get confused, 'I didn't know you were out?' Well, it's not like I'm going to broadcast that I'm gay. Me being out just means, 'Hi, this is my girlfriend.' My teammates knew very early on because I fit in with them and we grew relationships with each member of the team really quickly. They just knew from the start. I want them in my life like that. They have no reservations about it as I want it to be with every LGBTQ member. I'm just another human talking about everyday life.

Q: Was it important that they know?

A: I would say so. If they don't know, it's like I'm hiding again and my teammates are my best friends and I want to say this is my girlfriend and want them to approve of her and like her.

Q: How important is it for you to have an organization like LGBTQ on campus.

A: I was nervous coming to Indiana. I'm not going to lie. It's not known as the most progressive state, especially now with the new bill. I was coming here for basketball and academics and that was important to me and everything else will come later on. Purdue, being a college campus, it's a whole different generation of people. It is very accepting.

I did find them first. They were at OUTfest, which is where I met Ryan and Lowell. I started making regular visits and told them I wanted to be really involved. We've been working on the conference since I met them at OUTfest (2014). That was my first gay pride event. I was out but it was a gradual process of coming out and it's now out out. There's no more out of the closest. I don't even have a closest anymore.

Q: Based on what's happened in the state the last week (Religious Freedom Restoration Act), do you feel welcome?

A: I do. I don't venture outside of West Lafayette very often unless it's to go back home to Georgia, which is talking about that bill. On Purdue's campus I feel safe and it's different for Indiana because I know Indianapolis has laws to protect against discrimination of LGBTQ.

But I was surprised the governor signed it. When the governor signed it that day, I was very shocked that it happened but I did remind myself there's a large concentration of people that don't support the LGBTQ community.

Q: If gay marriage is allowed in Indiana, would you considered being married in the state?

A: I'm very much in love with Kierre and we talk about marriage a lot but we haven't talked where. If we both had a happy living situation in Indiana, we would get married here if it was allowed but I wouldn't if the bill is still in place. I wouldn't want to support that kind of thinking.