This week was the last episode of A Touch More with Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe. And it was a compilation of best moments, time capsules and reminders.
It really is the end of an era. I try not to be too sentimental about celebrity couples, but it was impossible not to admire their relationship. They were there for each other through championships, retirements, even an attack from President Donald Trump during his first term.
Bird’s piece in The Players Tribune, “So the President F*cking Hates My Girlfriend”, is one I’ve read numerous times and occasionally assigned as an example of persuasive essay writing. She didn’t just defend Rapinoe, she had a blast with the ridiculousness of the moment.
Lord, may we all have a partner who defends us so righteously.
They didn’t just have a relationship, they had a partnership and a business. And now the slow, deliberate unwinding of all that.
They were an unapologetic and timely example of a gay couple post-Obergefell who defined their relationship the way they wanted. Their journey was so different from that of Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss, who were discrete for so much of their relationship. It was a necessity — Billie lost all of her endorsements when she was outed by an ex-lover in 1981.
Sue & Megan, Megan & Sue could be public, and powerful. And it is even more remarkable when you consider they grew up during Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
They were the embodiment of pride.
I loved them together, and I’ll love them as individuals again. There are a lot of other high-profile couples in their wake, some public, some not. But they can choose, because Megan and Sue did a lot of the hard work of being both public and purposeful.
