dwight howard trans

Dwight Howard, a center for the Memphis Grizzlies, has addressed rumors about his sexuality in an interview FS1's Kristine Leahy.

"I'm not gay," Howard, the subject of a sexual harassment lawsuit by a man who claimed they had a romantic relationship, said on Fair Game with Kristine Leahy. "It's a lot of people who are and they have to hide, and in that location'due south people who have mental problems and they have to hide. At that place's people who take different problems in life and they have to hide. They take to put on the mask every solar day, and it'due south like, I don't wanna wear no mask, I just wanna exist."

Howard, who previously played for the Washington Wizards, admitted the allegations against him "hurt at first."

"It ended upwards being a situation that was... information technology went viral. People were talking well-nigh it, and information technology upset me because I didn't even know who the person was," he said. "Why would somebody who I never met, never had whatsoever contact with, make up a whole story well-nigh me. I saw all the hate, the pure detest, from people that I've never met earlier, just pile up everywhere I went."

dwight howard — Dwight Howard warms up before the Washington Wizards take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at Capital One Arena on November 2, 2018 in Washington, DC. Will Newton/Getty Images

In March, Masin Elije, an openly gay man, filed a accommodate confronting Howard, alleging the ii dated just that Elije broke it off because Howard was seeing other men and trans women. Elije further claimed Howard and his pastor, Calvin Simmons, tried to silence Elije with a non-disclosure agreement and "hush money."

Eljie showtime went public with his claims in a series of tweets from November 2018.

Fast forward, I'm finally face to confront with Dwight! And subsequently that day, from my understanding we had a understanding. So I'll just upload this screen record hither just in case his team decides to lie. (Ain't no girl gon ask you lot this) pic.twitter.com/JMfhPbUJL0
— 𝐒ᴏᴠᴇʀᴇĪɢɴ (@MasinElije) Nov 25, 2018

"I was afraid to speak but today my life was threatened afterwards I was sexually harassed, threatened and manipulated, past someone I respected, my ex boyfriend NBA player Dwight Howard," Eljie posted, "and his campsite as well ""catfished"" by his disrespectful ass PASTOR.

Calvin works for Dwight and Calvin begun to get irate, disrespectful and homophobic equally I continued to deny his "hush money" and said I wasn't signing the NDA! He tried to insult my intelligence telling me Dwight doesn't know me and "I never spoke to dwight" Despite me meeting him pic.twitter.com/UksdSj4np2
— 𝐒ᴏᴠᴇʀᴇĪɢɴ (@MasinElije) November 25, 2018

Howard, 33, has continually maintained he never met Elije. But the gossip and negativity he was subjected to online was oddly liberating, Howard says.

"I went through a situation final year that kind of, um, merely, it really only set me costless," he told Leahy. "I think that liberated me, because I saw how a lot of people would experience, whether they're gay or they're direct, or whether they have issues, people are afraid to be who they are," he connected. "They're afraid to but step out and be, similar yous said, considering they're afraid of what other people might say or think virtually them. Then that situation made me realize, you not similar this, only just be you, be gratuitous."

Howard is the father of an 11-year-old male child, Braylon, past Magic cheerleader Royce Reed.

He was also the subject area of rumors later actualization in drag in a 2011 appearance on the Spanish Television receiver prove El Hormiguero