Former USWNT Player Pleads For Korbin Albert To Bow Down To The LGBTQ+ Community 'Out In The Open'

Korbin Albert being named to the U.S. women's soccer roster for the upcoming Paris Olympics has caused a serious stir, specifically among many in the LGBTQ+ community. Some fans can't accept the idea that Albert made the final roster based on her abilities, because they can't get past the fact that Albert is a Christian and doesn't appear to subscribe to the idea that the world revolves around members of the LGBTQ+ crowd.

Earlier this year, Albert re-posted a video on her TikTok account of a message talking about how being gay and "feeling transgender" is wrong. According to The Athletic, the 20-year-old had also created a since-deleted video on Fourth of July weekend in 2022 in which she and her family stated "their pronouns are USA."

Her moves on TikTok resurfaced at the end of March, which led Megan Rapinoe, who is gay, to criticize Albert on social media. With Rapinoe calling on the mob to get her, Albert apologized just a few hours after the former USWNT captain called her out. 

Albert issued her lengthy apology on her Instagram story, which in today's day and age is the same as a public apology. 

Since the situation unfolded, USMNT manager Emma Hayes and a number of players on the roster have backed Albert being included on the team. Hayes went as far as to say that Albert is a "tremendous human" while noting that the midfielder is "spending time working on herself" after the backlash.

A public apology, plus her coach and teammates standing up for her, isn't enough, however, at least not for former USWNT player Sam Mewis.

Mewis, who had 83 caps for the USWNT during her career, reacted to Albert making the Olympic roster with an all-time case of word vomit despite reading her message directly from the screen in front of her.

"Korbin Albert's selection to this roster is upsetting to a lot of people, especially within our women's soccer community," Mewis began. "Earlier this year, Korbin had shared some homophobic and transphobic content on her social media. While the team has expressed that they're handling it all internally, and Korbin did issue an apology on her social media, fans and supporters of the team haven't been privy to any work or ongoing conversation regarding the situation.

"While I believe that people should be given an opportunity to change and grow, there are endless opportunities to demonstrate this growth to the community that has been hurt," Mewis continued. "The actions that were a problem were out in the open and so, to some extent, the growth should be out in the open as well and I think that is what's missing from this equation right now."

Mewis of course didn't expand on or provide an example of what she meant by saying "the growth should be out in the open."

Other than apologizing, which Albert did almost immediately, what exactly could she do to show "growth" in the open that she isn't ‘transphobic’ or ‘homophobic’ as so many people have labeled her? 

Would putting a Pride or transgender flag next to her name on social media suffice? Should she delete her message that Jesus is king that currently sits in her Instagram bio? Maybe being spotted at a drag show would take a bit of heat off of her.

The reality is that the people yelling about Albert being a part of the USWNT Olympic team already had an issue with her for simply being a proud Christian before she went and re-shared something on TikTok.

There is nothing Albert can do to fully appease the mob that preaches about inclusivity every waking moment of every single day that simultaneously casts hate towards anyone who may not fully align with their outlook.