TheQuartering [7/5/2023]
In the aftermath of a Supreme Court decision that undid protections for minorities when applying to college, WNBA star Natasha Cloud took a critical tone of the United States – just before Independence Day.
The 31-year-old guard for the Washington Mystics, who described herself as ‘a proud black gay woman’ in a number of tweets addressing a backlash against her, tweeted out her frustration by calling the USA ‘trash’ among other things.
‘Our country is trash in so many ways and instead of using our resources to make it better we continue to oppress Marginalized groups that we have targeted since the beginning of times,’ Cloud’s tweet from Friday said.
‘Black/brown communities& LGBTQ+ man we are too powerful to still be attacking issues separate.’
In further tweets, Cloud shared more frustrations – many of which generated further backlash and angry comments in her Twitter feed.
‘Imagine having all the power and resources to be great. I’m talking about everybody eats. Then imagine wasting it on hateful ideologies. Imagine weaponizing religion. That is America.
‘We are a hateful disappointment. That’s the truth. We have the potential to be great And we waste it. Waste it trying to control what we don’t understand.
She added, ‘I’m blessed to travel the world for my career. I’ve been in plenty of countries that I would have my human rights, healthcare, free/assisted schooling, don’t have to fear mass shootings or white supremacists, don’t have to be concerned about the highest maternal mortality rates, less police murders, no mass incarceration based on race, adequate minimum wage, rights to my body as a woman, I MEAN I CAN KEEP GOING.
‘Cause these are things that America is capable of…and when I say trash this is what I’m referring to. We choose to allow politicians to line their pockets and spit false and hateful ideologies to pit us against each other. America is a business.
‘I am a servant to my communities. That’s what I believe God called me to do with this platform and this blessing of a career. I’m Thankful for my life. And I am so proud to be a gay black woman.’
Cloud has been known to use her platform to speak out on social issues many times before – having marched in Juneteenth parades in the past. She also is a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, being married to a woman herself.
But these tweets sparked backlash on social media and on the air – with Fox News’ morning shows doing segments on her tweets.
Cloud, who in further posts said she grew up in a middle-class White family, also generated a reaction from fellow basketball player Enes Kanter Freedom.