OL Reign’s Jess Fishlock, Tziarra King use visibility as couple to ‘stand up’ for LGBTQ+ community

A massive Progress Pride flag went up and down and up and down again on a pole last week at Lumen Field.

Pairs of people were given the chance to raise the flag at the stadium’s fan deck, where notables also raise the 12 flag for Seahawks games. The rise and fall of the colorful Progress Pride flag in a windless, sunny sky was an unintended reflection of the vibe within the LGBTQ+ community.

“This Pride feels a little different,” OL Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock said.

The club was founded in late November 2012 on the heels of Washington voters approving to legalize same-sex marriage in the state. It was legalized federally in 2015.

But even as Fishlock spoke, lovingly glancing at her fiancée and teammate Tziarra King, activists fear the U.S. Supreme Court could overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark case that legalized same-sex marriage, as an onslaught of more than 200 bills attacking gender identity and sexual orientation have been introduced by state lawmakers across the country this year.

“The state of the current climate in our society, I feel like we’re going backward, we’re not going forward,” Fishlock said. “This Pride feels less of ‘Love is Love’ and more of a we’re fighting for people’s lives.”

Fishlock, 36, and King, 24, are battling with a powerful love that’s loud without having to say much and demanding with a heartfelt touch. Their engagement announcement is an example.

Only a few people knew about their private proposal. About two weeks later in October 2022, Fishlock wanted to post two celebratory photos and a video on Instagram for her 43,000 followers. King agreed, also sharing with her 44,000 followers. In the first image, the couple is overjoyed, Fishlock pointing at a card that says, “You’re en-GAY-ged!” The caption for the post reads: “For life” with a happy face emoji.

“Then the next day people were like, ‘What the [expletive]?!’ King said of the 15,591 likes and 565 overwhelmingly positive comments. “Surprise!”

Fishlock, the more loquacious of the two, added: “People love us! I was a little surprised by how many people were really happy and a lot of messages we’d get are just ‘We love seeing it,’ ‘The visibility is super helpful for us’ and that ‘it means so much that we can see a queer relationship.’ Whatever you want to call it is totally fine with us, we’re who we are, we’re in love and that’s it.”

Individually, King and Fishlock were already longtime activists. King was drafted eighth overall by the relocated Utah Royals in 2020 and had done work in Salt Lake City to spotlight Utah Pride Center and is an Athlete Ally ambassador.

Former Royals and Real Salt Lake owner Dell Loy Hansen was forced to sell amid allegations of racist remarks and a toxic work environment, the women’s team roster transferring and rebranding as the Kansas City Current.

But in January 2021, King, a Black woman who was outspoken on Twitter about holding Hansen accountable, was traded to the Reign, one of the more socially conscious teams in the 12-team league. Club captain Lu Barnes, with fellow Reign originals Megan Rapinoe and Fishlock, has helped foster teammates’ off-field passions through the decade whether it be the environment, mental health or trans rights.

King and Fishlock didn’t meet right away. Fishlock, a Welsh international, was sent on loan in August 2020 to FA Women’s Super League side Reading FC as part of her recovery from a season-ending knee injury in 2019.

“I wasn’t even worried about her,” King said playfully of Fishlock.

Fishlock didn’t return to the Reign until late April 2021, three months after preseason training camp opened.

Barnes, a defender, and King had an immediate connection.

“It was funny because Lu was like, ‘Ugh, I just can’t wait for Jess to come back, you’re going to love her,’” King said. “And she would text the same thing to Jess, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re going to love Zee, I can’t wait until you get back!’ We didn’t know we were going to love each other this much, I’ll tell you that.”

Their first date was at a steakhouse in Bellevue after weeks of building a friendship.

The love blossomed during Fishlock’s best season in the league. The unyielding box-to-box midfielder was named NWSL MVP in November 2021, and in December, the couple made trips to King’s native New Jersey and Pennsylvania and Fishlock’s native Cardiff and London to meet friends and family, making the relationship Instagram official.

Along the way, especially as legislation against trans rights increased, Fishlock and King remained vocal about their beliefs.

“Visibility is one of the biggest things that we can do,” King said. “We always try our best to get messages out that need to get out whether that be about bills or contacting local representatives, whatever we can do boost or post, we try to do. And reiterating the fact that we’re supportive of queer people, trans people being in sports and being in community and being accepted. People can’t see us without knowing that’s what we stand for.”

This week is an example. Fishlock and King held a bridal shower with friends and Reign teammates, posting a fun video to the track of Beyoncé’s classic “Crazy in Love.” Everyone was dressed in white, King wearing a “Bride” tiara and Fishlock with a golden crown. King is available for selection for the club’s designated Pride match against the Current on Saturday at Lumen Field. Fishlock is out due to injury.

“Having relationships in these environments are always tricky just because they could not end well,” Fishlock said. “Everyone sees us as individuals before they see us as together, so it wasn’t something that we were ever worried about.

“We’re these people all the time, but when Pride month comes along, you get to really stand up for others that don’t have a voice, which is kind of a big part of what we do, to be even more visible in those arenas.”

They’ll keep raising the flag until the message of acceptance sticks.