Notre Dame women's basketball star Hannah Hidalgo has maintained her silence three days after sharing a video to her Instagram Stories in which a conservative media host called gay marriage a "sin." As of writing on Tuesday morning, she's avoided an explanation for Saturday's post even as many college basketball and WNBA players, as well as fans, have responded negatively.
In the video that Hidalgo shared to her personal Instagram account, Candace Owens, a conservative pundit, criticizes gay marriage and suggests homosexual relationships are sinful.
Hidalgo didn't explicitly endorse Owens' statement, as ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon is in the clip expressing the opposite sentiment. But Hidalgo has yet to publicly answer allegations from members of the women's basketball landscape that she holds anti-gay views. The Notre Dame guard plays a sport in which many athletes are proud to be part of the LGBT+ community.
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Meanwhile, Notre Dame women's soccer product Korbin Albert has been booed by United States international fans this year after people noticed homophobic posts on her Instagram account . Albert has since apologized, while USWNT head coach Emma Hayes defended her character after selecting the midfielder for the Olympics this summer .
With the backdrop of Albert's controversy, Hidalgo's actions at Notre Dame have prompted questions about how Fighting Irish players past and present view LGBT+ people.
Some women's basketball programs at religious private institutions, such as Baylor, have faced claims that they alienate LGBT+ athletes. Former Baylor superstar Brittney Griner , for example, has spoken at length about then-coach Kim Mulkey allegedly trying to bottle her identity.
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"When I was at Baylor, I wasn't fully happy because I couldn't be all the way out," Griner said to ESPN in 2013. "It feels so good saying it: I am a strong, black lesbian woman. Every single time I say it, I feel so much better."
Baylor didn't retire Griner's jersey until after Mulkey left the school to take over at LSU . The Bears held a ceremony to honor Griner and hang her jersey in the rafters this past season.
After Hidalgo's post went viral over the weekend, she received swift backlash, and it remains to be seen whether her social media activity will ultimately impact her WNBA Draft stock. On the court, Hidalgo became an instant sensation as a freshman in 2023-24, earning First-Team All-American honors.
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The 19-year-old's play for the Fighting Irish caught the attention of WNBA scouts, and she could become a top-five selection in the draft when eligible in 2027. But the WNBA is perhaps the most socially conscious professional sports league in the United States, and that status could mean Hidalgo's personal views downgrade her stock down the road.
Fans have flooded the comment sections of Hidalgo's social media posts from before the Candace Owens video with calls for her to clarify her position on gay rights.
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