San Francisco 49ers assistant coach Katie Sowers is a pro football pioneer. This season, she will become the NFLs second full-time assistant female coach. She will also become the leagues first openly LGBT coach, male or female.

No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are, Sowers, openly lesbian, told Outsports when asked why she is discussing her sexual orientation publicly for the first time. There are so many people who identify as LGBT in the NFL, as in any business, that do not feel comfortable being public about their sexual orientation.

The more we can create an environment that welcomes all types of people, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, the more we can help ease the pain and burden that many carry every day.