For gay Olympic gymnast, g out allowed him to she Tokyo - Outsports

Contents:

• WELE TO THE ‘GAY GAM,’ AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE OLYMPICS, WHERE ACTIVISM IS ENURAGED AND EVERYONE’S AN ATHLETE
• WHY THE FIRST GAY OLYMPICS WAS A WATERSHED MOMENT SPORTS
• THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST 39 GAY OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATERS. HERE’S THE LIST
• FOR GAY OLYMPIC GYMNAST DOMIC CLARKE, G OUT ALLOWED HIM TO SHE TOKYO
• 'I FEEL VERY EMPOWERED': DIVER TOM DALEY DISCS BEG OPENLY GAY AFTER WNG GOLD
• A BRIEF HISTORY OF OPENLY GAY OLYMPIANS
• UTAH’S ARUP BLOOD SERVIC TO EASE RTRICTNS ON GAY, BISEXUAL MALE DONORS
• 16 GAY AND BI OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATERS
• THERE ARE A RERD 11 OPENLY GAY MALE OLYMPIANS R. NONE IS AN AMERIN.
• THE VERY SHORT LIST: WHO IS GAY THE OLYMPICS?
• HOW SOCHI BEME THE GAY OLYMPICS
• 5 TIM OPENLY GAY DIVER MATTHEW MCHAM SLAYED, AND OUT OF HIS SPEEDOS

WELE TO THE ‘GAY GAM,’ AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE OLYMPICS, WHERE ACTIVISM IS ENURAGED AND EVERYONE’S AN ATHLETE

The Gay Gam uld be an act of prott then, too, Wadll cid, an event durg which LGBTQ people uld play the same sports they watched durg the Olympics and achieve the same kd of glory he had at the 1968 Olympics. HIV/AIDS awarens has been baked to the Gay Gam sce s ceptn: In addn to banng discrimatn based on genr, sexualy, race and other tras, the Gay Gam wouldn’t allow any participant to be turned away based on their HIV stat. The Gay Gam also succsfully lobbied the US ernment to briefly waive a prev ban on HIV-posive people enterg the untry so they uld pete the 1994 Gay Gam New York and the 1996 Olympics Atlanta, chang ma wh the help of the US Olympic Commtee.

Elissa Alarie (Canada)#Brt Benn (Canada)#Kelly Brazier (New Zealand)Gayle Broughton (New Zealand)#Isadora Cello (Brazil) Lren Doyle (USA)#Mara Fravanti (Brazil)#Megan Jon (Bra)Alev Kelter (USA)Ghislae Landry (Canada)#Kaili Lan (Canada)#Celia Quansah (Bra)Kristen Thomas (USA)Ruby Tui (New Zealand)#Sharni Williams (Atralia)Portia Woodman (New Zealand). A total of 186 publicly out gay, lbian, bisexual, transgenr, queer and nonbary athlet participated the Tokyo Gam, acrdg to Not only was that the most at any Olympics ever, but was also more than triple the number of LGBTQ athlet at the 2016 R Gam.

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. 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. READ MORE: Explore history of the LGBTQ movement AmeriIn addn to boxg, basketball, swimmg and a number of other tradnal Olympic sports, the Gay Gam featured billiards, bowlg and a physique petn held at the historic Castro Theater.

WHY THE FIRST GAY OLYMPICS WAS A WATERSHED MOMENT SPORTS

Pneerg a New TradnPasl Ron/ALLSPORTGreg Louganis, one of the bt divers Olympic history, publicly revealed he was gay at the Gay Gam to the efforts of Cramer, Hahn, Carson, Thoman and many others, the Gay Gam have taken place every four years sce 1982, wh recent edns drawg parable numbers of athlet to the Olympics and Paralympics.

“Boys and young men are tght to avoid anythg associated wh femy, most notably weakns, emotn, and homosexualy, ” said Schweighofer, whose work on LGBTQ cln sports has appeared the publitn of the Natnal Park Foundatn.

Brish diver Tom Daley won gold the men’s synchronized 10 meter platform and said he felt “credibly proud to say that I am a gay man and also an Olympic champn” after not believg he uld “achieve anythg bee of who” he was as a child. The Internatnal Olympic Commtee said was vtigatg gay Team USA shot put silver medallist Raven Snrs after she raised her hands a cross on the podium, a gture she said was a “shout out” to Black people, the LGBTQ+ muny and all people alg wh mental health.

THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST 39 GAY OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATERS. HERE’S THE LIST

While Qatari officials have sisted everyone is wele, the cisn for Qatar to host was cricized by rights groups and there were lls 2010 for then-FIFA boss Sepp Blatter to rign after he joked that gay fans and players should jt “rea” om sex durg the tournament.

Tom Daley and his divg partner, Matty Lee, brought home a gold medal for Team Great Bra Monday on the synchronized 10-meter platform dive, and the victory was pecially meangful for Daley his send Olympics as an openly gay me out a YouTube vio 2013 shortly after he began datg his now-hband, Dt Lance Black. RtersJul 22, 2021, 09:17 AM ETMore than 160 openly lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer athlet are due to participate the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, makg this year's Gam the most clive has put a foc on host natn Japan, which activists say is out of step wh much of the rt of the world, havg not seen the same sweepg social change that ma same-sex marriage and greater cln a realy many Sugiyama, a 39-year-old former fencer for the Japan natnal team and a transgenr activist, said he was lighted to see the progrs diversy at the Gam.

"I loved the sport of fencg, I didn't feel I uld fd a place for myself, " he Japan is known for s strong civil society and mocracy, rights activists say has a long way to go on addrsg lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer (LGBTQ) Olympic charter bans discrimatn and while Tokyo passed an anti-discrimatn law three years ago, there are not the same legal protectns for much of the rt of the activists hope to e the Gam as an opportuny to raise awarens and public support for LGBTQ issu.

FOR GAY OLYMPIC GYMNAST DOMIC CLARKE, G OUT ALLOWED HIM TO SHE TOKYO

However, this year’s Wter Gam will also be cemented history for s rerd number of openly LGBTQ least 35 of this year’s Olympic athlet are openly lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr or queer, more than double the amount of queer petors om the 2018 wter petn PyeongChang, South Korea, acrdg to the LGBTQ sports webse Outsports.

And Canadian soccer player Qun beme the first openly transgenr and nonbary athlete to w an Olympic medal — a gold — followg Team Canada’s feat of Swen the women’s fal last while Team USA will ga an Olympic first wh the addn of LeDuc, will also be losg some star 2018, etyle skier G Kenworthy and figure skater Adam Rippon ma history as the first openly gay men to pete the Wter Gam for the Uned Stat.

Homosexualy has been legal Cha sce 1997, but recent years, the untry has worked to lim LGBTQ activism and 11 years operatn, Shanghai Pri nceled s annual LGBTQ celebratn 2020 and said — whout explanatn — that would no longer hold the event.

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

And last week, the gay datg app Grdr was removed om several Che app stor after the untry’s cyberspace thory vowed to ensure a “healthy, ftive and spic onle environment” for the Lunar New Year, which began this week. The Gay Gam is a great chance for all gays and lbians to show that we as a muny are not like the stereotyp the straight media lov to portray … I strongly feel we have to celebrate our own valu and help others to accept that is ok to be different. TOKYO, July 22 (Rters) - More than 160 openly lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer athlet are due to participate the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, makg this year's Gam the most clive has put a foc on host natn Japan, which activists say is out of step wh much of the rt of the world, havg not seen the same sweepg social change that ma same-sex marriage and greater cln a realy many Sugiyama, a 39-year-old former fencer for the Japan natnal team and a transgenr activist, said he was lighted to see the progrs diversy at the Gam.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF OPENLY GAY OLYMPIANS

"I loved the sport of fencg, I didn't feel I uld fd a place for myself, " he Japan is known for s strong civil society and mocracy, rights activists say has a long way to go on addrsg lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer (LGBTQ) Olympic charter bans discrimatn and while Tokyo passed an anti-discrimatn law three years ago, there are not the same legal protectns for much of the rt of the Olympic Rgs are seen ont of the skyle durg sunset one night ahead of the official openg of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Gam Tokyo, Japan, July 22, 2021. When, still damp om the pool after wng his long-awaed gold medal, Brish diver Tom Daley clared his pri at beg a gay man and also an Olympic champn, there were tears and full hearts across the while there was ltle shock – Daley has been a vol advote of LGBTQ+ rights for years – there was a joy and ease to his pronouncement that was new.

Photograph: WPA/Getty Imag“When I heard – I’m gog to get emotnal here – when I heard Tom Daley talk the prs nference about beg a proud gay man, and an Olympic gold medalist, I jt thought: y, absolutely y. Other gay male petors clu the New Zealand diver Anton Down-Jenks, the equtrians Edward Gal and Hans Peter Mrhoud om the Netherlands and the US x Julian the openg ceremony, the US basketball star Sue Bird, engaged to footballg legend Megan Rapoe, beamed as she bore the US flag. ”While Daley’s post-swim terview was voured by an overwhelmgly supportive public, other athlet risk their liv to be publicly out at the the Polish rower Katarzyna Zillmann won silver the quadple sculls she thanked her girliend, explag that she wanted to e her platform to help the LGBTQ+ muny Poland where there has been a risg wave of homophobia.

Women’s basketball team members Sue Bird, Chelsea Gray, Brtney Grer, Breanna Stewart and Diana Trasi; Amerin 3-on-3 basketball player Stefanie Dolson; Canadian women’s soccer team members Qun, Kaisha Buchanan, Er McLeod, Kailen Sheridan and Stephanie Labbe; French handball players Amande Leynd and Alexandra Lacrabère; New Zealand gby players Gayle Broughton, Ruby Tui, Kelly Brazier and Portia Woodman; and, of urse, Brish diver Tom Daley, who fally took home the gold for synchronized divg at his fourth Gam.

UTAH’S ARUP BLOOD SERVIC TO EASE RTRICTNS ON GAY, BISEXUAL MALE DONORS

” Print Andrzej Duda won a send five-year term last year after he lled LGBTQ iology “more stctive” than munism and signed a “Fay Charter” pledge to ban same-sex marriage, gay adoptn rights and teachg about LGBTQ issu schools. 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. 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.

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.

16 GAY AND BI OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATERS

Veterans’ ttimoni “give shockg evince of a culture of homophobia, and of bullyg, blackmail and sexual asslts, abive vtigatns to sexual orientatn and sexual preference, disgraceful medil examatns, cludg nversn therapy, ” the report said. “From a personal pot of view, the ban affected me terms of who I was and what I uldn’t be for 34 years, ” Holm ban on homosexualy was abandoned 2000, when the European Court of Human Rights led favor of four service personnel who were vtigated and then discharged bee of their sexualy. "She was the one who helped me realize that beg gay didn't really matter terms of a sport, 's not gog to affect how I play, but that before I had e out was affectg how I played, " Mouat told the BBC 2021 of his sports will lead the Brish men's curlg team and pete the mixed doubl.

"I had an opportuny to meet and jo a meetg of a middle school Gay Straight Alliance this past year, and when I left that meetg the teacher said they've never seen an out female athlete and they've never met someone that talked so openly about their same sex partner and thgs like that, " Jenner told Spectm News 2020.

He’s one of the bt and most important stori of the Tokyo Gam after wng his first gold medal Men’s Synchro wh divg partner Matty Lee and spirg lns by clarg, “I feel credibly proud to say I am a gay man and also an Olympic champn. But he never mentned beg gay until he started playg hockey for the Toronto Gay Hockey Associatn, where he started lerally wearg that part of his inty on his sleeve, somethg he discsed wh The Hockey News Curry, Uned Kgdom, Men's SglThe Brish skater, famo for brgg ballet and dance mov to men's sgl, won the gold at the 1976 gam Innsbck, where he also acted as flag bearer for his natn.

THERE ARE A RERD 11 OPENLY GAY MALE OLYMPIANS R. NONE IS AN AMERIN.

Shortly before petg at Worlds that same year, the German newspaper Bild-Zeung outed Curry as gay, g a mor sndal Europe, but Curry went on to w the event anyway, makg him the first skater to w the European, Olympic and World champnships a sgle season, acrdg to the BBC. While qutns about the flamboyant skater followed him through his reer -- two Canadian broadsters ught flak and spired a Pri Hoe prott after makg homophobic ments about Weir at the 2010 Olympics -- he did not e out until 2011, when he revealed he was gay his memoir, Wele to My World.

Stt Haton his book Landg It later creded Pockar and Rob McCall for helpg him get over personal homophobia, but Haton also got cricized for posthumoly outg the O'Meara, USA, Ice DancgThe ice dancer reprented the Uned Stat at the 2006 gam Toro alongsi skatg partner Jamie Silverste.

THE VERY SHORT LIST: WHO IS GAY THE OLYMPICS?

Kenworthy did not medal the eki sloptyle event, but NBC meras beamed imag of him and Wilkas sharg their affectn once Kenworthy was done petg, a moment the out Amerin said at the time was powerful for many reasons: “I thk that the only way to really change perceptns, break down homophobia, break down barriers is through reprentatn, ” he said.

“That’s fely not somethg I had as a kid: I fely didn’t see a gay athlete at the Olympics kissg their boyiend and I thk that if I had would have ma a lot easier for me, so hopefully did that for other people. While queer historians have reported on plenty of closeted gay athlet to pete at an Olympics, not one was on rerd as beg out until Seoul 1988, when Amerin Robert Dover, an equtrian athlete, beme the first. London is a safer place to be LGBT than Rsia, where vlence agast LGBT people is growg by the day and a law is on the books barrg so-lled gay 'll be watchg Team LGBT as the gam play out, and we're hopg the roster grows the days ahead.

HOW SOCHI BEME THE GAY OLYMPICS

The Stonewall rts were more than a the past; a year earlier, reports had surfaced about rare pnmonia and ncer afflictg homosexuals New York and California—the first glimmers of what would later be lled AIDS. ” “Direct ntact” wh athlet om the natns, Day argued, would be enlighteng for Amerins livg a untry where ternatnal visors were often nied entry bee of their sexual s later, sports are once aga stirrg to take stock of gay rights around the world. Ultimately, the stlit Olympics history may be remembered for markg a perd which gay rights aren’t so much advancg globally as expandg certa parts of the world while regrsg or languishg 6, 000 athlet om 85 untri gather Sochi, the global gay-rights divi will be unmistakable.

But gay rights only me to the fore the summer of 2013, when the Rsian ernment, which crimalized homosexualy 1993, banned the dissematn of “propaganda of nontradnal sexual relatns” around children—makg more difficult for gay activists to operate and, rights groups allege, fuelg a rise anti-gay vlence the untry. The mayor of Sochi sayg there were no gay people his cy didn’t help, perhaps the most provotive rebe to Rsia’s lims on LGBT rights, Print Obama has clud three openly gay athlet—Billie Jean Kg, Cal Cahow, and Brian Boano— the U.

5 TIM OPENLY GAY DIVER MATTHEW MCHAM SLAYED, AND OUT OF HIS SPEEDOS

Gay Olympic athlet have exprsed outrage as well; the Atralian snowboarr Belle Brockhoff, for stance, has vowed to “rip on [Put’s] ass” after petg and possibly flash an oblique six-fger salute reference to “Prciple Six, ” an anti-discrimatn clse the Olympic Charter. Then there’s the solutn proposed by Saturday Night Live: an all-heterosexual Team USA figure-skatg squad:The laws agast homosexualy that have recently ma ternatnal headl aren’t necsarily new, Stern says, but they are “gettg more attentn today bee of the level of progrs that we’ve seen other parts of the world.