Wele to the 'Gay Gam,' an Olympics alternative, where activism is enuraged and everyone's an athlete | CNN

Contents:

• NFL ACH OUT AS GAY HISTORIC MOMENT AMERIN SPORTS
• JAGUARS ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY HISTORIC ANNOUNCEMENT
• ATHLET WHO ARE GAY
• WHY THERE ARE FEW OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN'S PROFSNAL SPORTS
• WRTLG’S GAY HISTORY AND OPTIMISTIC FUTURE
• RUGBY PLAYER GRABS OPPONENT’S CROTCH AND A GAY FORMER PLAYER MAK A JOKE OF
• 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
• WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENTS GAY-SPORTS HISTORY?

NFL ACH OUT AS GAY HISTORIC MOMENT AMERIN SPORTS

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.

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.

JAGUARS ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY HISTORIC ANNOUNCEMENT

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.

Kev Maxen, a strength ach for the NFL anchise the Jacksonville Jaguars, has publicly e out as gay a landmark moment Amerin men's profsnal sportsJacksonville Jaguars strength ach Kev Maxen (R) has publicly e out as gayJacksonville Jaguars ach Kev Maxen has ma history by beg the first active NFL ach to publicly e out as gay. Figure skatg has long been seen as a safe haven for gay men, but no publicly out skaters peted at a Gam until PyeongChang 2018, when Adam Rippon, Eric Radford and Jorik Hendrickx led the way that sport. 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.

ATHLET WHO ARE GAY

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. Havg not been out at his but Gam Los Angel 1984, Dover ma the choice to e out prr to 1988 as the AIDS epimic ripped through the queer muny: “I ma a statement that I was gay, ” Dover said plaly. “The first time I ever admted to someone I was gay was ont of all 130 of my fellow teammat, ” one llege football player, who me out to teammat a ral area 2016, reported answerg the survey.

“This reflects years of rearch that I have nducted on smaller sl, all showg athlet are more fortable wh gay teammat than most anyone thought possible, ” said Dr. “Athlet across sports and across genrs love their gay teammat, and they support their gay teammat, and this go beyond differenc of sexual orientatn.

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

Given the imprsn of rejectn this language reprents, ’s even more important that people across sports redouble their efforts to end language perceived to be homophobic. 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. 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.

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.

WRTLG’S GAY HISTORY AND OPTIMISTIC FUTURE

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. 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. After Michael Sam beme the first openly gay athlete to be drafted to the NFL 2014, then-Miami Dolphs safety Don Jon tweeted "horrible, " rultg penalti and a spensn.

There are key differenc the cultur of men's and women's athletics While few active players the major men's sports leagu have e out, many female profsnal athlet have said publicly that they're gay, om U.

RUGBY PLAYER GRABS OPPONENT’S CROTCH AND A GAY FORMER PLAYER MAK A JOKE OF

It’s a job and a liftyle that often draws people that feel "different, " so perhaps ’s not surprisg that om the earlit days of sports entertament, gay men and women have stck out to the world of wrtlg to make their fortun.

By examg lser-known gay wrtlers, historil nnectns, and signifint storyle events, you n track not only gay culture’s fluence on the art form but the shiftg perceptns of the dtry and dience.

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

As a gay performer, he was groundbreakg and, along wh many other Exótis, changed the perceptn of gays wrtlg by beg so beloved, when typilly we’ve been portrayed as heels that people are expected to hate bee of their ‘gayns. Though NWA promoter Jam Bart, wrtler Pat Patterson, and others were openly gay the locker room- the Dupree’s were unual by nature of also beg a tag team.

Somethg is fascatg about a pair of gay lovers gettg over wh a tough-as-nails biker gimmick, though the leather element do have parallels the gay muny. After WCW premiered Lenny Lane and Lodi as the Wt Hollywood Blons, characters signed to be homophobia mags, GLAD, and other groups reached out and asked them to be removed as they felt the ved gay-bashg. Effy told , "When people tell queer performers that we’re ‘actg too gay’ or ask to ‘tone down, ’ we have to refe bee there are still kids out there who feel like they have to hi themselv, and we have the platform as queer performers to say, ‘No, you are allowed jt to be yourself, and there is no shame that.

WHY THE FIRST GAY OLYMPICS WAS A WATERSHED MOMENT SPORTS

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. 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.

WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENTS GAY-SPORTS HISTORY?

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.