Source: Megan Briggs / Getty
Brittney Griner‘s attempt to turn the very substance that left her jailed in Russia for 10 months into a more positive mission was stopped in its tracks.
The newly minted Atlanta Dream player was at Maryland’s Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor to speak at the Women Grow Leadership Conference, which focuses on women in the cannabis business space.
“Women Grow is a dynamic movement that empowers women to succeed through connecting, educating, and inspiring future leaders. Women Grow is helping to shape an inclusive and thriving cannabis ecosystem focusing on cannabis legalization, entrepreneurship, and career development,” reads the site.
Joining Ricky Williams, Griner was scheduled to be one of the special guests at the two-day summit from Feb. 17 to Feb. 18 but backed out at the last minute because of security concerns after arriving at her hotel.
According to CBS affiliate WUSA-TV, a piece of duct tape was left in her hotel room that read “Gay Baby Jail,” so she immediately left.
While Griner is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, the term isn’t a slur and is actually a common video game phrase that means forward progress in the game is impossible unless it’s restarted. It started when streamer SimpleFlips was playing Super Mario and got stuck in a cage.
Plus, according to the police, before the weed conference, the convention center held Katsucon, an anime convention that also attracts gamers, which could explain the duct tape message.
“Detectives have learned the phrase ‘gay baby jail’ is commonly used as a video game reference,” police said in a statement. “At the time the tape was located, a large convention was taking place at the Gaylord which attracts thousands of people, many with an interest in anime as well as video game enthusiasts.”
Police are still trying to determine who left the message, while Women Grow CEO Dr. Chanda Macias wonders why the room wasn’t thoroughly cleaned. Still, despite Griner not attending the conference, she understands her safety was paramount.
“We were really excited because she brings a beacon of hope to our industry, but we know security is a major importance,” Macias told WUSA9. “If there was a woman that feels threatened at any reason whatsoever, they should do what they feel is best for them.”
See how social media is reacting to the potential security threat below.
