The gay versn of SI's Swimsu Issue - Outsports

Contents:

• OLYMPIC SWIMMER MARK THORMEYER PERFORMED AT HIS PEAK AFTER G OUT AS GAY
• TWO GAY SWIMMERS ARE BT IENDS AND EACH OTHER’S ROCK
• THIS GAY HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMER HAS MOM ACHG HIM EVERY STEP OF THE WAY
• THIS GAY SWIMMER JT WON ANOTHER MEDAL & HE’S GUNNG FOR THE OLYMPICS
• GAY SWIMMER, BISEXUAL LACROSSE PLAYER AMONG NCAA ATHLET SHARG THEIR CLN STORI
• THE GAY VERSN OF SI'S SWIMSU ISSUE
• GAY OLYMPICS SWIMMER MAK WAV AND OUT OF THE WATER
• FROM LLEGE SWIMMER TO HIGH SCHOOL ACH, GAY ATHLETE STAYED TE TO HIMSELF
• EX-OLYMPIC SWIMMER MARK FOSTER OUT AS GAY
• FAMEWATCHER SEARCH PRIMARY MENU SKIP TO NTENT HOMECELEBRY HAIR TRANSPLANTCELEBRY PLASTIC SURGERYCELEBRY LEATHER JACKETBODY SHAPER SEARCH FOR: GAY MALE ATHLET, HOT MALE SWIMMERS, SWIMWEAR FOR MENGAY SWIMMERS LIST: OLYMPIANS AND COLLEGE STARS

OLYMPIC SWIMMER MARK THORMEYER PERFORMED AT HIS PEAK AFTER G OUT AS GAY

Swimmer Mark Thormeyer was a wreck leadg up to the 2016 Canadian Olympic Trials, his hidg beg gay so taxg and bilatg that one day he broke down and lay helpls on his bedroom floor. We’re two swimmers and bt iends, both llege, who happen to be gay.

TWO GAY SWIMMERS ARE BT IENDS AND EACH OTHER’S ROCK

Before we tell you the story of how two gay swimmers helped each other e out, we want to share some background about each of .

I was always good at hidg my emotns and phg my feelgs ep si, so I had no problem hidg that I was gay until high school. On top of everythg else I was a petive swimmer, a sport known for beg “more gay” bee my uniform was a ty piece of fabric jt large enough to ver “my stuff” and I went to a private, Catholic high school. I was aaid of tellg my teammat that I was gay bee I feared they would look at me differently or my guy iends would distance themselv.

The hard part was the lonely, dark place I put myself when faced wh the realy that people knew I was gay. I’ve had such hard time g to terms wh my sexualy bee I was sred that my fay would hate me bee homosexualy is a s. At my school, swimmg was nsired a “gay” sport bee of our ltle Speedos.

THIS GAY HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMER HAS MOM ACHG HIM EVERY STEP OF THE WAY

Even though I wanted to jt be “normal, ” that was not the ma reason I uldn’t wrap my head around wh beg gay. Josh are you gay? Fast forward to fay weekend, my sophomore year at the Universy of Arizona 2015, when I fally felt fortable wh my fay knowg.

Josh opened the text and all said was, “I’m gay, Josh. In his sophomore year of llege, Josh fell to a ep prsn.

THIS GAY SWIMMER JT WON ANOTHER MEDAL & HE’S GUNNG FOR THE OLYMPICS

Qun is an openly gay high school swimmer nservative Indiana. “I said, ‘I don’t re that you’re gay and want to date a guy, ’” Hoober told me.

GAY SWIMMER, BISEXUAL LACROSSE PLAYER AMONG NCAA ATHLET SHARG THEIR CLN STORI

Qun says he hasn’t enuntered much homophobia school. Swimmers on a rival team ll him “the gay wh the nose rg, ” but, well, that’s te. “They’ve got to be more creative than, ‘The gay wh the nose rg.

Qun unrstands some parents and kids may have qutns about his inty as a gay man, and he don’t hate to answer them. “I hope if there is someone else who n see themselv me, then that’s helpful — and that swimmer wouldn’t even have to be gay as well. “I wanted to be somewhere where beg gay wasn’t even, like, ‘ol, ’” he said.

That’s right: The “gay kid wh the nose rg” om suburban Indiana was worried his llege would be ls acceptg than his high school. “When I me to high school and was very gay and outward, I was sred the boys on the team were gog to be weird to me the locker room.

THE GAY VERSN OF SI'S SWIMSU ISSUE

Nick is only out gay swimmer on the U. Though he says he’s been out to iends and fay for years, Nick publicly me out as gay Febary. In a TV terview, he said he wants to show other young gay swimmers they’re not alone.

GAY OLYMPICS SWIMMER MAK WAV AND OUT OF THE WATER

Sce g out, Nick says the reactn has been nothg but posive–showg that gay people belong the pool. Among them are a gay swimmer, a queer swimmer, a bisexual lacrosse player and an out softball player. “As a gay athlete my story matters bee when I was the closet, the people who were out and proud gave me urage and strength to be myself, ” said Robbie Dgherty, a junr swimmer for the Willamette Universy Bearts Oregon, one of the vios posted on Twter wh the hashtag #NCAAIncln.

Racg briefs are also rigr for swimmers, water polo players and divers, and wily embraced by the gay muny. We stayed at Los Muertos Beach, which is the "gay beach".

FROM LLEGE SWIMMER TO HIGH SCHOOL ACH, GAY ATHLETE STAYED TE TO HIMSELF

The Gay Gam is the world's largt sportg and cultural event anized by and specifilly for LGBT athlet, artists, micians, and others. Origally lled the Gay Olympics, was started San Francis 1982, as the brachild of Tom Wadll, whose goals were to promote the spir of cln and participatn, as well as the pursu of personal growth a sportg event. It retas many siari wh the Olympics, cludg the Gay Gam flame which is l at the openg Gay Gam is open to all who wish to participate, whout regard to sexual orientatn.

There are no qualifyg standards to pete the Gay Gam.

It brgs together people om all over the world, many om untri where homosexualy remas illegal and Feratn of Gay Gam (FGG) is the sanctng body of the Gay Gam. From s statement of ncept and purpose:The purpose of the Feratn of Gay Gam is to foster and gment the self-rpect of lbians and gay men throughout the world and to engenr rpect and unrstandg om the nongay world, primarily through an anized ternatnal participatory athletic and cultural event held every four years, and monly known as the Gay Gam VIII were held Cologne, Germany om July 31 to Augt 6, 2010.

EX-OLYMPIC SWIMMER MARK FOSTER OUT AS GAY

Sports reprented clu swimmg, divg, volleyball, bodybuildg, soccer, Asie Rul Football, gby and first two photos the gallery are openly gay Olympic divers Tom Daley and Asie Matthew Mcham (2nd om left the group photo).

) shot of Cristiano Ronaldo, maybe the gayt straight man the world.

FAMEWATCHER SEARCH PRIMARY MENU SKIP TO NTENT HOMECELEBRY HAIR TRANSPLANTCELEBRY PLASTIC SURGERYCELEBRY LEATHER JACKETBODY SHAPER SEARCH FOR: GAY MALE ATHLET, HOT MALE SWIMMERS, SWIMWEAR FOR MENGAY SWIMMERS LIST: OLYMPIANS AND COLLEGE STARS

In May, the openly gay Fnish swimmer won the 50-meter etyle at the European champnships, ls than three months before he is set to swim the same race, along wh the 100-meter etyle, Tokyo. But was jt before the 2014 Wter Olympics Sochi, Rsia, (where they obvly don’t have swimmg) where the 6-10 Fn ma his biggt splash, when he me out as gay. “I wanted to jo the discsn relatn to Sochi, sce is a sad fact that the Rsian gay law affects negatively Rsian young people’s liv and g human rights general, he told the Fnish Natnal TV Channel YLE’s “Sports Weekend” show at the time.

From llege swimmer to high school ach, gay athlete stayed te to himself. ‘The most challengg part of beg gay has actually been enuragg myself to be more open wh others, ’ MacJilton Lewis wr.