I needed to see a woman like Stefanie Loh when I was growing up. She has faced adversity in chasing her dreams that would easily halt the faint of heart. Stefanie is a lesbian, Asian-American sports reporter who covers college football and the NFL for The Seattle Times. Born and raised in Singapore, she grew up wanting to be a sports reporter, while knowing this would be a tough road in a country where sports isn’t as valued. As a teenager, she also came to realize that she was gay, and that the conservative Asian society she’d grown up in probably wasn’t the best place for her to blossom. So she moved to the U.S. for college and to chase her dreams, and fought against the tide of a sinking economy and the United State’s tough immigration process to make her dream of being an American sports reporter possible. And on June 13, 2015 with the repeal of DOMA she was able to marry the love of her life and obtain permanent residency status. Stefanie is also a mentor to other women looking to get into sports media and is also a mentor and advocate for LGBTQ+ youth. She tries to be a resource to any young women going through the same things she did in her youth and to be the role model she wish she had growing up. When growing up I needed to see a woman like Stefanie Loh. Who did you need to see?
Photo by Angela Doheny Photography.