'We're not hidg': Gay and lbian Rsians say a cultural shift is unrway

Contents:

• WHY THE FIRST GAY OLYMPICS WAS A WATERSHED MOMENT SPORTS
• CELEBRATG LGBTQ SPORTS HISTORY: THE ONLY MLB TEAM WH PLAYERS WHO HAVE E OUT AS GAY
• CELEBRATG BLACK LBIAN GAY BISEXUAL TRANS SPORTS HISTORY
• 'WE'RE NOT HIDG': GAY AND LBIAN RSIANS SAY A CULTURAL SHIFT IS UNRWAY

WHY THE FIRST GAY OLYMPICS WAS A WATERSHED MOMENT SPORTS

1974 – Patricia Nell Warren’s book, The Front Runner, is published – A gay love story between a gay ach and a nner on his team.

1991 – Philalphia Enquirer article about Rene Portland’s anti-lbian policy – Marks shift media verage: Homophobia is the problem and Portland’s policy is wrong. 1998 – Mike Mka, a gay man and former llegiate track and field ach, is named the athletic director at Oberl College beg the first openly gay male ever that posn.

1998 – Brian Orser, former world champn figure skater and Olympic silver medalist, out as a gay man a palimony su filed by an ex-lover. 1999 – publish first web page voted to sports news and rmatn for gay sports fans and athlet- iated by Cyd Zeigler and Jim Buzski. 2002 – The Natnal Center for Lbian Rights iat the Homophobia Sports Project to provi legal and advocy support for athlet and ach discrimated agast on the basis of the sexual orientatn or genr inty.

CELEBRATG LGBTQ SPORTS HISTORY: THE ONLY MLB TEAM WH PLAYERS WHO HAVE E OUT AS GAY

2003 – Universy of Pennsylvania founds the first stunt-athlete group foced on elimatg homophobia athletics, Penn Athlet Agast Homophobia (PATH).

2008 – Eleven openly gay, lbian and bisexual Olympians w a total of seven medals at the Beijg Gam, cludg a gold medal divg won by Atralian Matthew Mcham, the only openly gay man petg the gam. 2011-GLSEN teams wh the NBA to create a Thk B4 You Speak PSA vio featurg NBA players, Grant Hill and Jared Dudley on anti-gay name-llg sports.

CELEBRATG BLACK LBIAN GAY BISEXUAL TRANS SPORTS HISTORY

Women’s Sports Foundatn starts the Project to Elimate Homophobia Sport 2000: The Women’s Sports Foundatn iated the Project to Elimate Homophobia Sport, wh the help of fundraisg efforts ma by the renowned tennis player, Marta Navratilova. This project was a llaborative effort among many anisatns such as the Natnal Center for Lbian Rights, the Natnal Collegiate Athletic Associatn and the Gay and Lbian Edutn Network.

Jason Colls out 2013: Amerin Basketball player Jason Colls me out as gay 2013 through a feature story Sports Illtrated. IOC’s Scientific Consens Statement on Homophobia Sport 2020: IOC’s scientific panel released two nsens statements wh regard to the LGBTQ+ muny. The first statement fed homophobia as sexual harassment that sport bodi are obligated to prevent due to the physil and mental harm n e to the athlet.

However, there is still a long way to go, as evint om the recent ntroversi around the trans weightlifter Lrel Hubbard’s selectn for the Tokyo Olympics and the rampant homophobia that ntu to be prent sport.

'WE'RE NOT HIDG': GAY AND LBIAN RSIANS SAY A CULTURAL SHIFT IS UNRWAY

Navratilova even participated as one of the platiffs the ACLU/Lambda Legal lawsu challengg a 1992 anti-gay Colorado ballot iative that ultimately rulted the landmark Romer v. Megan Rapoe, star midfielr for the soccer Natnal Team and formerly of the profsnal club Chigo Red Stars, gave an “I’m gay” terview jt before the 2012 Summer Olympics, sayg she felt was important to do so given the Natnal Team’s fluence as role mols for youth.

Among male athlet, many petors sports that rarely get public attentn or work televisn verage have announced their gay inty to fans en route to Colls’ blockbter announcement. She me out 2019 - a year after India's Supreme Court crimalised gay sex - and faced public backlash om people her village, as well as her parents.

The two-time Pro-Bowler never publicly me out as gay before he died of Aids aged was selected the nth round of the 1965 NFL draft by the Washgton Redsks, now lled the Washgton Football Team.