Brittney Griner canceled her scheduled appearance at the Women Grow Leadership Summit in Maryland after discovering “threatening objects and words” in her hotel room.
Women Grow, which promotes leadership in the cannabis industry and helps bring women together to organize and legalize cannabis, was being held at the Gaylord National Resort.
Griner but backed out after spotting a disturbing message.
According to WUSA9, a piece of duct tape reading “Gay Baby Jail” was left in her room-an unsettling find for Griner, an openly gay athlete who spent nearly 10 months in a Russian prison after being convicted of marijuana possession in 2022.
While hotel staff reportedly dismissed the tape as a prank left by a previous guest and missed by cleaning staff, the incident was enough to raise security concerns. Women Grow CEO Dr. Chanda Macias supported Griner’s decision to cancel, saying, “If there was a woman that feels threatened at any reason whatsoever, they should do what they feel is best for them.”
Although Prince George’s County Police said it appears Griner was not targeted rather involved in an unfortunate coincidence, then are still working to determine who placed the piece of tape, when it was done and the intention behind it.
