October is LGBTQ History Month and Eczema Awareness Month. Outsports Power 100 honoree Diana Taurasi talks about both.

Diana Taurasi is a WNBA legend. | Design by Kyle Neal

The top scorer in WNBA history, voted by fans as the league’s greatest-ever player, with three championships, six Olympic gold medals and a long list of individual and team honors… Diana Taurasi is the GOAT and then some.

The Phoenix Mercury star has just featured once again in the upper ranks of the Outsports Power 100, celebrating the most influential LGBTQ people in sports — a list topped this year by her Mercury and USA teammate, Brittney Griner.

Taurasi turned 42 back in Pride Month and she’s currently “in the thought process” of when to retire, as she explained in a recent AP interview.

For now, however, she’s using her platform as an athlete to highlight two causes close to her heart — LGBTQ inclusion, and eczema awareness.

Get off the sidelines and into the game

She married former Mercury teammate Penny Taylor seven years ago, and they have two children together — 2-year-old Isla and 6-year-old Leo. Taurasi believes LGBTQ History Month is a reminder that visible representation remains immensely important in sports.

In June, Taurasi revealed that she lives with the skin condition eczema, which caused such chronic itchiness during her college years as to be “unbearable”. However, in her 30s, she began using an anti-inflammatory medicine called Dupixent, the benefits of which she now helps to promote, particularly in October which is also Eczema Awareness Month.

Hi Diana, thanks for talking to Outsports. Our Power 100 recognizes the most influential LGBTQ people in sports. What has your experience taught you about athletic leadership on inclusion?

It’s funny, I was just coaching my son’s first-grade team, and the word of the day was inclusivity — and I think that’s so important. Especially in society, making sure that you identify similarities and differences. It’s a matter of including everyone, celebrating what makes us unique, and making sure there’s a safe place for everyone to be who they are.

That’s the beauty of being out — you’re not labeling yourself as anything but yourself, and every individual is different. This month is so important to talk about, not only for the LGBTQ community, but for other groups that are marginalized in society.

At this time, what causes are you most passionate about advocating for and raising awareness of, and why?

Environmental sustainability is crucial to ensure that we protect our planet for future generations and work toward a more equitable society. Transitioning to a vegan diet years ago, I’ve continued to understand the positive impacts of a plant-based lifestyle on the environment.

Voter participation and registration is also important to me — protecting democratic rights to make sure people are able to vote, have their voices heard, and create positive change for their family and community. In this election cycle, women’s reproductive rights and freedoms are at stake.

As a woman and athlete, this is a particularly vital issue that I’m advocating for as it affects reproductive health, family planning, access to birth control and ultimately women’s autonomy over their own bodies.

Moderate eczema is also something I’ve been dealing with since college. I had rashes on my arms and hands, and I was super itchy which was particularly inconvenient when I played basketball. For years, I cycled through different prescription lotions and creams, but nothing I tried really brought my eczema under control.

After working with my dermatologist, she recommended I start Dupixent (dupilumab), a treatment for people ages six months and older with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe eczema. Since starting Dupixent, my skin is clearer, and I feel less itchy overall.

While every person is different, I’m grateful to have found a treatment that works for me. Now, I’m hoping to help others who may be going through similar challenges with eczema by sharing my story in partnership with Sanofi and Regeneron.

You’re one of 12 WNBA entries in the Top 30 of the 2024 Outsports Power 100 — the WNBA is comfortably the most represented league. Where do you see yourself and your fellow peers (players, coaches, administrators) making the greatest impact in sports today on behalf of the LGBTQ community?

I think the way we carry ourselves — and that is to be professional, to be hardworking, to be passionate, and to love what we do, as well as our teammates, fans, friends, and family. There’s something to be said about being able to see someone that represents you in these positions.

Thinking back 20 years from now, I didn’t have that ability to come out and have the benefits we have now. So, we must really recognize the path to make sure the future is better for all of us.

Whether that be when you see us on the sidelines, playing live, on ESPN, or on the cover of magazines, it’s the essence of being able to see yourself through someone else that goes a long way.

BG was one of the first to come out after college, and she did it when it wasn’t popular. She probably had people telling her it wasn’t a good business move, but she has always been true to herself, and I think that’s the one thing everyone loves about her, and I love about her.

She’s a kind and amazing person and in being so intentionally out. She has created a lot of space for others to be themselves too. She’s really been amazing being in the front of that.

We say that our Outsports list is “a snapshot in time”, reflecting past achievements, current queer clout, and potential. Which targets remain for you in sports, and where would hitting them rank overall in your personal honor roll?

Whenever you’re deep in your career or just starting, you must find different ways to evolve on or off the court. It’s an amazing journey — when you’ve been in a certain profession for 20 years, you can see things differently and change things that can make you a better person.

I’m super ready for the next chapter in my life, whether it be on or off the court. I don’t really look at the past much. My past successes or failures don’t dictate my future. I’m excited for what the future holds for myself, and for basketball.