Megan Rapinoe And Sue Bird's Relationship Timeline Is Actual Goals

In a July 2019 interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Rapinoe laughed about not realizing she was gay until college. "It’s just so embarrassing because I’m just very gay," Rapinoe told Cooper. “I was, like, 'Why didn’t anyone tell me?!'" Although Rapinoe reportedly came out to her friends and family in college, she didn't come out to the public until her 2012 interview with Out magazine, before the London Olympics.

“I feel like sports in general are still homophobic, in the sense that not a lot of people are out,” Rapinoe told Out. “I feel everyone is really craving [for] people to come out. People want — they need — to see that there are people like me playing soccer for the good ol’ U.S. of A. For the record: I am gay."

Megan Rapinoe has never been afraid to go for gold (literally — she’s participated in the Olympics three times), and if you've seen her nail a penalty kick, you know how well she does under pressure. In the 2019 World Cup, Rapinoe won the Golden Boot for being the top scorer. So, it's no wonder that when she first met Sue Bird at a United States Olympic Committee (USOC) press event for the 2016 Rio Olympics, Rapinoe made the first move.

In a 2018 interview with Seattle Refined, the pair both admitted that Rapinoe's opening line didn't initially land.

"I was in uniform but my hair was down and in full makeup and she joked, 'Are you getting ready for a game?' I was like 'Yeaaahhh,’'' Bird told Seattle Refined.

AlthoughRapinoe walked away feeling defeated, she later told Oprah magazine that she and Bird's agents worked together, and she went to some of Bird's games during the Rio Olympics. Naturally.

TBH, the only relatable part of this athletic fairytale is that Rapinoe slid into Bird's DMs. The reason she got in touch? Their shared fight for social justice.Apart from their sheer athletic genius, the pair have both been incredibly public about their activism. In 2016, a number of WNBA teams and players wore black shirts and jerseys at their games in support of Black Lives Matter. Bird and her team, the Seattle Storm, were incredibly vocal on social media about their support of the movement. Rapinoe — who was one of the first white athletes to kneel during the national anthem — contacted Bird on social, commending the WNBA's protests.

During a 2017 interview during the ESPNW Women and Sports Summit, Bird affectionately joked about Rapinoe sliding into her DMs, going on to say that the messaging eventually led to texting, which eventually led to the pair hanging in Seattle (the city where they both live and play professional sports, like the icons they are).

In a 2017 interview with ESPN, Bird came out publicly and confirmed that she and Rapinoe had been dating since fall of 2016.

"I'm gay — Megan's my girlfriend," Bird told ESPN. "These aren't secrets to people who know me. I think people have this assumption that if you're not talking about it, you must be hiding it, like it's this secret. That was never the case for me."

Rapinoe and Bird's relationship is iconic and inspirational for a variety of reasons, but one of my personal faves is that the couple dated for nearly a year before Bird publicly came out. Coming out looks different for everyone, and all relationships are totally real and valid, regardless of how public they are.

Later in the interview, Bird explained that she came out when she was ready to. "I understand there are people who think I should have done it sooner, it wasn't right for me at the time," Bird said. "I have to be true to that. It's my journey."

Shortly after confirming their love to the world, Bird and Rapinoe really bared it all —literally. As the first openly gay couple to be on the cover of ESPN's "Body Issue," Bird and Rapinoe rocked an iconic nude photoshoot.

"Not only are we female athletes, but we're dating as well," Rapinoe told ESPN. "It's kind of badass."

Along with the incredible photos, Bird and Rapinoe spoke about the importance of the visibility and normalization of queer relationships.

"I think having a gay couple on [the cover], hopefully it just becomes the norm, Bird told ESPN. "You want it to not be an issue. You want it to just be, oh, another couple is on there."

In the days before the 2019 World Cup, Rapinoe told a reporter from Eight by Eight magazine that if USA won, she would not be celebrating in D.C. (the literal quote is: "Psssh, I'm not going to the f*cking White House.") This statement inspired a series of tweets by then-President Donald Trump instructing Rapinoe to "win before she talks." Trump's tweets then inspired Bird to write what is, IMHO, the greatest love letter of all time. "So the President F*cking Hates My Girlfriend" is an op-ed for The Players Tribune, defending Rapinoe, commending the USWNT, and listing everything she loves about her girlfriend.

"But on Friday? It was like for this one, perfect, fleeting, uncomplicated day…I was everyone," Bird wrote. "I was happy. I was crazy. I was proud. I was pretending to know about soccer. I was a little overwhelmed. I was pretty damn American. And I was in love with Megan Rapinoe."

I'm not crying, you're crying. (I am crying.)

Rapinoe decided to put a ring on it. Bird shared their engagement on Instagram with a dreamy, caption-less post of Rapinoe down on one knee — a photo that speaks for itself. Thank goodness they gave us all an excuse to celebrate (for once!) in the midst of a tough year.

Not long after sharing their proposal with the world, Rapinoe and Bird asked each other 43 questions in GQ’s “Couple’s Quiz,” during which they preciously (and nervously, in Bird’s words) answered questions about one another.

They also graced the magazine’s cover the following month, headlining GQ’s “Modern Lovers” edition and revealing that Rapinoe was wearing (wait for it!) a bucket hat when the couple got engaged in Antigua in an interview.

Fast-forward a few months, and in the same week, both women won medals at the Tokyo Olympics — Rapinoe scored a bronze on the soccer field, while Bird brought home the U.S. Women’s Basketball Team’s seventh straight gold.

Just before they snagged those medals, though, Rapinoe shared the most earnest post celebrating the fact that Bird was selected as the USA’s flag bearer during the opening ceremony.

“Beyond words. I am so proud of you Sue,” Rapinoe wrote on Instagram. “What an honor it is to have you lead us @teamusa and all of America back home. 🇺🇸 You are, simply the best. ❤️ @sbird10.”