Brittney Griner is an American citizen and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star who has been detained in Russia since February of 2022 on drug charges. Sadly, her precarious situation has not been given nearly as much media coverage as it should be getting. Griner was detained on very weak drug charges and, shortly after her detainment, Russia invaded Ukraine. With the Russian-Ukraine conflict ongoing, there are fewer American resources in Russia to help Griner’s case.
Griner’s name, again, began making the rounds in the media after she was handed her sentence on August 4th, 2022. She pleaded guilty to bringing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil into the country and was sentenced to a staggering nine years in a Russian prison. It is a punishment that certainly does match the offense. However, instead of an outpouring of sympathy for Griner, it was Griner’s supposed “hatred” of America that began trending following her sentencing.
Who is Brittney Griner?
For those unfamiliar with Griner, she is one of the biggest names in the WNBA. Standing at 6’9”, she has been dominating the court ever since she was a high school student. Meanwhile, she has been dominating the WNBA ever since she was first drafted in 2013. Just a few highlights of her career include signing with The Phoenix Mercury, signing an endorsement with Nike, and leading the United States women’s national team to gold at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.
Griner came out publicly as a lesbian in 2013, and, ever since, has been a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. She has been very open about the bullying she experienced throughout her life as a Black lesbian woman. Griner even chronicled her experiences in a memoir, In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court, published in 2014. In an interview with People, she indicated that by raising awareness for her experiences, she just wanted to make things a little less tough for the next generation.
In February of 2022, Griner was competing overseas in Russia. It is something many members of the WNBA do during the off-season, due to the large pay discrepancy between the WNBA and NBA. She was then detained in Russia, after she was found to be in possession of two vape cartridges containing cannabis content. The cartridges were for her personal use and contained less than 1 gram of hashish oil combined. Hashish oil is legal in her home state of Arizona and she stated she packed the cartridges accidentally prior to heading to Russia. She was charged with smuggling drugs and received a 9-year prison sentence.
Why is “Brittney Griner hates America” trending?
The United States is reportedly trying to arrange a prison swap with Russia. They will attempt to hand over Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death” who is serving time in America, in exchange for Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. In response to the exchange, controversial cable channel, One American News (OAN), took the opportunity to attack Griner. Presenter Chanel Orion, sated, “So here’s what the geniuses at the Biden state department drummed up: a trade. A convicted Russian arms dealer, a.k.a. ‘Merchant of Death’, in exchange for an America-hating lesbian pothead.”
This “America-hating” accusation stems from 2020 in which Griner called for the removal of the National Anthem from the WNBA. Her protest came in light of the killing of Breonna Taylor, and she refused to be on the court when the National Anthem played. Now, according to conservatives, Griner is getting what she deserves by being imprisoned in Russia. Their sentiments are close to the ones reiterated earlier by Donald Trump, who called Griner “spoiled” and said that he wouldn’t have negotiated the same trade for her when he was president.
Needless to say, this whole right-wing “that’s what she gets” attitude toward Griner is disgusting. It’s a grim reminder that a large section of the American populace is apparently so lacking in compassion, mercy, and humanity (but with plenty of homophobia and racism) that they would celebrate a wrongful 9-year imprisonment. We hope that Griner is released soon, but the ordeal that she’s been through should have never happened in the first place.
(featured image: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Published: Aug 9, 2022 01:27 pm