Megan Rapinoe and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez join forces to untangle the mess that is America in 2020

Megan Rapinoe and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Megan Rapinoe will join forces with “some of America’s most innovative thought leaders” including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for a new TV special on social change.

Rapinoe, who led the US women’s football team to World Cup victory in 2019, has long been involved in politics and has been recognised as a trailblazing activist since she kneeled during the national anthem at an international match in 2016.

The lesbian athlete made headlines in the summer of 2019 when she clashed with Donald Trump for telling a reporter: “I’m not going to the f**king White House.”

While the US president attacked her online, Rapinoe stood her ground and refused to be silenced on issues like the anti-LGBT+ policies of the Trump administration and homophobia in sport, insisting that it would be irresponsible not to use her international platform to effect change.

On 1 August, Seeing America With Megan Rapinoe, a 30-minute talkshow special, will air on HBO Sports.

Rapinoe will be joined by US representative, staunch LGBT+ ally and RuPaul’s Drag Race guest judge Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, and comedian and Patriot Act host Hasan Minhaj to have a conversation about social change in America in 2020.

“It is an honour to host a show with a critical conversation between some of America’s most innovative thought leaders,” Rapinoe said in a statement. “I am so thankful to HBO for providing such a powerful platform for this important dialogue.”

In the short teaser for the special, Hannah-Jones says: “This is the first election where I actually feel like we are voting for our lives.”

Minhaj jokes: “Are we in the ‘Downfall’ section of our Wikipedia page right now?”

HBO Sports’ executive vice president Peter Nelson said: “We are grateful Megan Rapinoe would choose HBO as home for this conversation and look forward to more opportunities with her to continue this dialogue.

“Megan is fearless in speaking out on issues. Joined by Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nikole Hannah-Jones and Hasan Minhaj, this conversation embraces the challenges we collectively face.”

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