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Contents:

• A BRIEF HISTORY OF OPENLY GAY OLYMPIANS
• FIRST GAY OLYMPIAN HISTORY PETED 1928
• WHY THE FIRST GAY OLYMPICS WAS A WATERSHED MOMENT SPORTS
• JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
• 'I FEEL VERY EMPOWERED': DIVER TOM DALEY DISCS BEG OPENLY GAY AFTER WNG GOLD
• WHY OPENLY GAY ATHLETE AND OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, TOM DALEY, WANTS DIVERSE COMPANY ON PODIUMS AND LEARSHIP
• CELEBRATG LGBTQ SPORTS HISTORY: OUT GAY DIVER MATTHEW MCHAM WS OLYMPIC GOLD
• OPENLY GAY MEDALIST 'CUDDL' WH PUT
• CANADA'S ERIC RADFORD BE FIRST OPENLY GAY ATHLETE TO W WTER OLYMPICS GOLD
• TOM DALEY IS DAMN PROUD TO BE AN OPENLY GAY OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST

A BRIEF HISTORY OF OPENLY GAY OLYMPIANS

Figure skater Adam Rippon will be one of two openly gay Amerins petg the 2018 Wter Olympics, a first for the U.

But there’s one thg Rippon won’t be hidg – this year, he and etyle skier G Kenworthy will bee the first openly gay Amerin men to ever pete the Wter Olympics. Even so, the last time that the Uned Stat sent an openly gay man to any Olympic Gam was 2004, when equtrians Guenter Seil and Robert Dover won bronze team drsage. It was Dover’s sixth time reprentg the Uned Stat at the Olympics; durg his send Gam, 1988, Dover me out, beg the first openly gay athlete to pete the morn Olympics.

"I wish that all gay athlet would e out all discipl – football, baseball, the Olympics, whatever, " Dover has said. Ined, by the time Dover me out on the ternatnal stage, was clear that gay athlet were petg and wng all levels of profsnal sports. ) And 1982, former Olympian Tom Wadll – who would die om AIDS at the height of the epimic five years later – helped found the first Gay Gam for LGBT athlet.

FIRST GAY OLYMPIAN HISTORY PETED 1928

But was more than a earlier when an openly gay athlete first performed the Olympic Gam. Curry acknowledged that the mors about his sexualy were te, but when journalists asked prient qutns betrayg the era’s misnceptns about homosexualy and masculy, Curry fought back: “I don’t thk I lack virily, and what other people thk of me don’t matter, ” he said. There, a fiery, unflchg athletic spectacle, Curry abandoned his ual lively route of skips and hops for a stern technil masterpiece, makg him the first openly gay athlete to perform on the Olympic stage.

LGBT journalists and historians, cludg Zeigler and Tony Scupham-Bilton, have talogued the many Olympians who were homosexual but peted a time before beg “out” was safe and acceptable. German nner Otto Peltzer, for stance, peted the 1928 and 1932 Olympics, but was arrted by the Nazis 1934 for his homosexualy and was later sent to the ncentratn mps. Louganis was long mored to be gay, but didn’t e out publicly until the openg ceremoni of the 1994 Gay Gam: "Wele to the Gay Gam, ” Louganis said to the crowd.

WHY THE FIRST GAY OLYMPICS WAS A WATERSHED MOMENT SPORTS

Though the early history of openly gay Olympians is dotted wh male athlet, openly gay women have quietly gaed prevalence recent petns.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics Beijg, 11 openly gay athlet peted, only one of whom – Atralian diver Matthew Mcham, who won gold and is a vol LGBT activist – was a man. All six openly gay athlet at the 2010 Wter Olympics Vanuver were women, as were all seven of the openly gay athlet at the 2014 Wter Olympics Sochi.

Both of the terveng Summer Olympics saw a greater turnout of openly gay athlet, but women still held the large majory. Women’s basketball team – Delle Donne, Brtney Grer, Seimone Augt and Angel McCoughtry––were openly gay.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

Wh this year’s Wter Gam Pyeongchang, Rippon and Kenworthy are the first openly gay Amerin men to pete the Olympics sce the legaly of same-sex marriage was tablished throughout the Uned Stat 2015, and the cultural shift is apparent. The summer before hostg the Wter Olympics, what many saw as an afont to gay rights activism, the Rsian ernment passed a law prohibg the promotn of “nontradnal” sexual relatnships to mors.

'I FEEL VERY EMPOWERED': DIVER TOM DALEY DISCS BEG OPENLY GAY AFTER WNG GOLD

The Uned Stat ed the Olympic platform as an opportuny for subtle prott, cludg proment gay athlet Brian Boano, Billie Jean Kg and Cal Cahow s Olympic legatn, and protts were staged across the world.

WHY OPENLY GAY ATHLETE AND OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, TOM DALEY, WANTS DIVERSE COMPANY ON PODIUMS AND LEARSHIP

Rippon recently ma headl when he refed an offer to meet wh Vice Print Mike Pence due to disagreements wh his stanc on LGBT rights – which clu past statements that appear to support fundg gay nversn therapy. Pence’s former prs secretary nied his support for gay nversn therapy durg the 2016 printial mpaign. Have you heard about the gay man who was dropped om his Olympic team bee he was too butch?

In Amsterdam 1928 Otto Peltzer of Germany had ma his Olympic but and is the first gay Olympian. Peltzer was arrted for his homosexualy 1934 and later imprisoned, makg impossible for him to tra for the Berl Olympics.

His ath 1989 mak him the send LGBT Olympian to die of AIDS-related , the first was Tom Wadll, founr of the Gay Gam, 1987. He was outed by a newspaper and although Curry didn't ny he was gay he didn't nfirm eher. In the 1980s and 1990s the fear of the homophobic backlash that followed the emergence of HIV effected many LGBT athlet.

CELEBRATG LGBTQ SPORTS HISTORY: OUT GAY DIVER MATTHEW MCHAM WS OLYMPIC GOLD

This homophobia is still felt many sports, which is one reason why fewer male athlet have e out than female. Sger Ta Turner was the ma draw at the openg ceremony San Francis for the first Gay Gam 1982, but cy supervisor Doris Ward may have received the biggt reactn om the crowd.

“She said, ‘I’d like to ve you all to the first-ever Gay Olympics, ’” remembers Jim Hahn, one of roughly 1. ”But Gay Gam I, which ran om Augt 28-September 5, 1982, faced many challeng, cludg the U. You uld have an Olympics for anythg, ” says Shamey Cramer, a swimmer who -led Team Los Angel the first Gam, “but heaven forbid you should be gay or lbian.

OPENLY GAY MEDALIST 'CUDDL' WH PUT

Succeed blockg the official e of the term "Olympic, " but the lawsu galvanized support for the Gam, pecially among the gay muny. Participants the gural event today rell Gay Gam I as a watershed moment for gay athlet around the world. "When I walk to the [Gay Gam] openg ceremoni, " says Hahn, "I always get that sense of history g back.

CANADA'S ERIC RADFORD BE FIRST OPENLY GAY ATHLETE TO W WTER OLYMPICS GOLD

Olympian Helps Organize Gay GamAthlet wave to the crowd at the 1994 Gay Gam New openg ceremony at the 1994 Gay Gam New skatg petors at the 1994 Gay Gam New closg ceremony for the 1994 Gay Gam New York was held at Yankee men's softball fal at the 1994 Gay Gam was held Central Gay Gam clu a body-buildg the 2002 Gay Gam Sydney, Atralia, nners ngratulate each other at the 5, 000-meter fal.

TOM DALEY IS DAMN PROUD TO BE AN OPENLY GAY OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST

Like many other LGBT athlet, Wadll wanted to make a siar, powerful statement wh an event for gay MORE: 8 Memorable Protts by Amerin Athlet “You were eher a drag queen or the leather muny—those were the stereotyp that were prented to the public at that time, ” says Rick Thoman, a track and field athlete who peted the first Gay Gam. ”A number of gay and lbian sports leagu emerged the 1970s, as the LGBT muny gradually announced self to mastream society.