Rugby player ‘stays true’ to herself as a member of the LGBT community

Nicholas Poblete // Staff Writer 

Selected by USA Rugby as a Collegiate All-American student-athlete for the 2014-15 season alongside 54 other student-athletes, Ashaunte Stroman is a four-year member of the women’s rugby club.

The senior majoring in psychology and physical therapy is also openly homosexual.

Stroman said she was only 6 years old when she discovered that her sexual preference didn’t correlate to that of her church’s.

She also said she understood the backlash that she was going to encounter as an openly gay woman, but she was more concerned about her parents blaming themselves over her sexual orientation.

“Society’s views on that,” she said. “They automatically blame parents.”

Stroman has not encountered, she said, any homophobic attitudes while attending FIU. All of the organizations that she has been affiliated with has welcomed her for who she is, just another student, according to Stroman.

Stroman said she is appreciative of the rugby club which has become like a family to her, and her competitive attitude helps her focus on her goals.

“As an athlete we came here for one purpose, to play,” she said.  

In today’s society, where “trolls” hide behind a screen, social media can be a very cruel place for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer community. Some young kids who are part of the LGBTQ community have committed suicide because of the cyberbullying they have experienced.  

Faced with this issue, Stroman advises those who are having a difficult time “coming out” to stay true to themselves.

“Live, be confident, do you,” she said.

It is possible that friends might turn their back on you, but Stroman said these aren’t friends to begin with. When coming out, Stroman believes it is important to surround yourself with people who love you.

“Do it for yourself,” she said. “Be prepared to lay everything out.”