Today, 49ers assistant coach Katie Sowers announced that she is openly LGBT. Sowers is the second full-time female coach in NFL history, behind only Kathryn Smith, who spent 2016 as special teams quality control coach.
“No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are,” Sowers said to OutSports, “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.”
Sowers play pro football in the WFA (Women’s Football Alliance) and also previously worked for now-head coach of the Niners, Kyle Shanahan, in Atlanta for the Falcons.
“We were in Atlanta, and people asked, ‘Why did you want to bring a girl here?’ I didn’t even look at it that way,” Shanahan told Cam Inman of the Mercury News. “She helped us there and asked if she could do the same thing here. Because of what she did in Atlanta, we’d love her to be here. She helps out. She’s good in the room. It helps her because she learns, too. But I like hearing Katie’s opinion. She does a good job for us.”
She added that she hopes she can be a role model for young women who hope to work in the NFL.
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