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Yes, a Gay Woman Works the NFL Sideline—but Katie Sowers Refuses to Be Sidelined

Last fall, a routine question at a press conference left Cam Newton unable to contain himself. Before the reporter even finished her prompt, the Panthers quarterback was struggling to suppress his laughter. Why?

"It's funny to hear a female talk about routes," Newton said with a smirk. It wasn't the question he found so amusing—it was the gender of the person who asked it.

Nobody on the right side of history was laughing alongside Cam Newton.

The past year has delivered long-overdue victories for workplace equality, as #MeToo mashes up with the pace of progress and traditional ceilings to hiring for marginalized groups get smashed—yes, even in the NFL.