Gay athlet are makg history at the Wter Olympics | CNN

Contents:

• WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS
• WHY THE FIRST GAY OLYMPICS WAS A WATERSHED MOMENT SPORTS
• JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY ATHLETE TO PLAY NBA, MAK U.S. SPORTS HISTORY
• NORTH AMERI’S FOUR BIGGT PRO SPORTS LEAGU HAVE BEEN AROUND A BED 398 YEARS. THEY’VE HAD TWO OPENLY GAY ACTIVE PLAYERS
• A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAY ATHLET SPORTS
• GAY ATHLET ARE MAKG HISTORY AT THE 2018 WTER OLYMPICS
• A BRIEF HISTORY OF OPENLY GAY OLYMPIANS

WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS

In June 2021, NFL fensive end Carl Nassib me out as gay a vio posted to his Instagram, addg he donated $100, 000 to The Trevor Project, an anizatn that foc on suici preventn LGBTQ youth after he stggled wh his sexualy for 15 years.

The athlete quickly ma a name for herself a seri of TV terviews, where she voiced her support of women's rights and LGBTQ rights as an openly gay woman. "I thk female athlet, general, are at the foreont of every prott general bee we're gay, we're women, we're women of lor, we're sort of everythg all at one time, " Rapoe told NBC news 2019. The thgs you hear as a child—every time you hear someone say 'f----t' or talk bad about a gay guy, or see somethg on TV and make fun of that.

WHY THE FIRST GAY OLYMPICS WAS A WATERSHED MOMENT SPORTS

" He scribed hidg his sexualy while playg for the Utah Jazz, but said some teammat who spected he was gay were welg about a 2007 terview on "Outsi the L, " Amaechi, who played five seasons the NBA, said he thought there were other gay players the league, but said 's "terrifyg" for some to e out. Greg Louganis won four gold medals and one silver medal at three Olympic Gam om 1976 to 1988 as a diver, but wasn't until 1994 that he me out as gay. ""If I n show that I'm out and I'm fe, then hopefully the younger generatn will feel the same way, " Grer said the same year, Grer recieved a multi-ln dollar al om Nike, and beme the first openly gay basketball player endorsed by the brand, acrdg to The married her wife, Cherelle, 2019.

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

JASON COLLS, FIRST OPENLY GAY ATHLETE TO PLAY NBA, MAK U.S. SPORTS HISTORY

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.

NORTH AMERI’S FOUR BIGGT PRO SPORTS LEAGU HAVE BEEN AROUND A BED 398 YEARS. THEY’VE HAD TWO OPENLY GAY ACTIVE PLAYERS

Bce Hay, an Olympic swimmer who won a gold medal 1984 as a member of the 800-meter etyle relay, out publicly at the Gay Gam and ws seven gold medals petn. Roy Simmons, an offensive guard for the New York Giants and the Washgton Redsks om 1979-83, reveals he is gay durg an appearance on The Phil Donahue Show. Rudy Galdo, the natnal men's skatg champn, discs beg a gay man the book Insi Edge: A Revealg Journey Into the Secret World of Figure Skatg.

Greg Louganis, a special Goodwill Gam edn of New York 1 News' nightly sports program, says that several athlet profsnal team sports have asked him for advice about gog public wh their homosexualy. Brian Orser, former world figure skatg champn and two-time Canadian Olympic silver medalist, is revealed November as gay an palimony su filed by an ex-boyiend. In an affadav which he argued to keep the su's documents sealed, Orser says, "Other skaters, both Canadian and Amerin, guard their gayns closely bee of the likely impact of public disclosure on their reers.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAY ATHLET SPORTS

She has been a relatnship wh Atralian soccer player Sarah Walsh for three 38Natnaly: Uned Stat of AmeriBirthplace: Reddg, CaliforniaTeams: Chigo Red StarsTennis great Billie Jean Kg beme the first proment female profsnal athlete to e out as gay back 79Natnaly: Uned Stat of AmeriBirthplace: Long Beach, California, Uned Stat of AmeriOlympic diver Greg Louganis is openly gay. He married his partner Johnny Chaillo 63Natnaly: Uned Stat of AmeriBirthplace: El Cajon, California, Uned Stat of AmeriWNBA player Sheryl Swoop announced that she was gay 2005.

Age: 52Natnaly: Uned Stat of AmeriBirthplace: Brownfield, Texas, Uned Stat of AmeriTeams: Hoton Comets, Uned Stat women's natnal basketball team, Texas Tech Lady Rairs basketballNBA player Jason Colls me out as gay an terview wh Sports Illtrated magaze 2013.

His announcement provoked mixed reactns om his fellow players and the 44Natnaly: Uned Stat of AmeriBirthplace: Northridge, Los Angel, CaliforniaTeams: Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, Washgton Wizards, Memphis Grizzli, Brooklyn NetsAmerin soccer player Abby Wambach is openly gay. Atralian A-League soccer star Josh Cavallo me out as gay an October vio posted to his social media, beg hailed as the first current male top-flight profsnal soccer player to publicly do so.

GAY ATHLET ARE MAKG HISTORY AT THE 2018 WTER OLYMPICS

"He ntued: "Growg up I always felt the need to hi myself, you know, bee I was ashamed, and ashamed I'll never be able to do what I love and be gay. The 28-year-old Natnal Football League player and Rairs fensive leman ma history when he me out as gay on Instagram durg Pri Month, beg the first veteran NFL player to e out as gay while signed to a regular-season ntract.

The Bachelor star and former football player (who was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted ee agent and was on the practice squad of the Oakland Rairs and the Philalphia Eagl) me out as gay April, sayg he had fally e to terms wh his sexualy and the "next step all of this was sort of lettg people know. Corey Walsh, the 27-year-old pro BMX rir and Vans spokperson, said he isn't normally the type of person to "let people " on his personal life, but felt was important to e out as gay a March Instagram post bee "there are a lot of people still stgglg wh the same suatns" and he "jt wanted to let people know that they are not alone. Champn long track speedskater Conor McDermott-Mostowy never hid beg gay om his fay, iends, and fellow athlet, but he also wasn't one to rate his locker wh rabow Pri flags eher.

When Nashville Predators prospect Le Prokop me out this week, was the first time an active player unr ntract to an NHL team had ever publicly acknowledged they were gay.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF OPENLY GAY OLYMPIANS

Overnight, Prokop's announcement doubled the number of out gay athlet currently playg the untry's four major men's sports — football, basketball, baseball and hockey. Gay male athlet face cultural barriers Part of the reason for the lack of out gay players men's profsnal sports uld be that there are jt fewer of them the game. "Gay men are a fe rource, so they n't exist great numbers every quarter, " Magrath told "Gay men are overreprented some areas, and as a nsequence are gog to be unrreprented sports.

That uld be due to the mascule culture at the center of the major sports, experts say, creatg an environment that is ls welg to gay athlet. Magrath helped thor a study that found that male athlet who me out as gay while still playg sports were largely met wh acceptance by their teammat.

NBA player Jason Colls, who me out 2013 while he was still playg the league, later told NPR " went great" when he scribed the perd after announcg he was gay.