'Basketball Wives LA' Ariane Williams Denies Being a 'Bisexual' Christian; Talks 'Wives' vs. Girlfriends
"Basketball Wives LA" star Ariane Williams set tongues wagging when she made her debut on the VH1 reality TV show last month. She recently took the time to clear up misconceptions about her sexuality and faith in an exclusive interview with The Christian Post.
The reality star, 31, was introduced during episode one as the former fiancée of NBA star DeShawn Stevenson, 32, with whom she was involved for eight years and shares two children. However, the certified yoga instructor is much more than just the former Atlanta Hawks star's ex and please don't call her a "baby mama."
"I never really even say 'baby mama,' I don't even know who made that up, what does that even mean?" Williams told CP.
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During episode one, the Christian mother of two sparked controversy when she said she was "on the fence" about supporting a gay advocacy event hosted by her more liberal co-star Jackie Christie. Williams attributed her hesitation to her religious beliefs, but later in the episode alluded to having had sexual experiences with women in the past, which confused Christie. She admitted that if her son were gay, it would "break my heart a little bit."
"When I mentioned that I wouldn't want that for my son its really just my preference. I want my son to marry a woman. I want to have [grandchildren] and I don't want him to go through all of that turmoil behind being homosexual, they get a lot of flack," Williams explained.
"Me experimenting is just something I did when I was young and I was having fun and drinking (things come with drinking). I'm not saying it's right [and] I wouldn't encourage my kids to do it," the mother continued. "I've never had an emotional relationship with another woman so I can't say 'Oh I was born this way' or 'It's something that happens over time.'"
While she stands by her religious beliefs, she insists that she would never discriminate against another person and is all for equality.
"I love people for who they are, their character – that's what I judge you on. Whatever you do over spare time, whatever your sexual orientation is, whatever your race [or] gender – that doesn't matter to me," she went on. "If you're a good person and you have a good heart then that's what I attract myself to."
"Basketball Wives," which is produced by Shaunie O'Neal, follows the drama-filled lives of women romantically linked to professional basketball players. Critics have pointed out the irony in that contrary to the show's name, many cast members from both the LA show and the Miami version are not actually wives.
Williams said she was often judged for not being Stevenson's wife, but admitted that she should have done things differently.
"Now that I look back on it I would never give that much of myself to a man that I wasn't married to because yes, in reality we weren't married," she said. "I shouldn't have been acting as a wife without having that type of commitment."
Williams does not believe being his wife wouldn't have prevented infidelity, though.
"At the end of the day when our men go on the road or when they go out they're all stll cheating on us married or not," she added.
Still, she said that their relationship was much more than her jumping from man to man: Williams was with Stevenson for eight years and planned their children.
"I think people got a lot of misconceptions of my situation ... its not like I slept with a whole bunch of players until I got pregnant by one. We had our kids out of love, we planned it," Williams explained.
In addition to appearing on season 3 of "BBWLA," Williams has launched her very own lifestyle brand, o2bArie LLC, which offers personal fitness and yoga instruction nationwide. She also hopes to create her own yoga clothing line after she completes her final year of college and earns her degree in Fashion Merchandising.
"I've been teaching [yoga] for three years ... I love it! It's just become a way of life for me," she said.
For more information on Ariane and her 02bArie lifestyle brand follow her on Twitter here.
