In 1990, Jt Fashanu beme the first football player to publicly e out as gay. Sce then, only seventeen players have done the same.
Contents:
- 8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY
- 20 INSPIRG GAY AND LBIAN FOOTBALL (SOCCER) PLAYERS
8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY
It wasn't until six year later that Tewksbury felt fortable enough to publicly acknowledge he was gay, and then faced repercsns for dog so — for example, he immediately lost a six-figure ntract as a motivatnal is still a price to pay for beg gay sports today. There are many plac around the world where 's not safe and some s even illegal to be openly gay. In Iran, for example, LGBTQ people are sometim killed for beg gay, lbian or Canada, where athlet are phg boundari and creatg clive spac, has never been easier to be out, proud and thentic the field of play.
(Getty Imag)'Didn't see gay people'It wasn't the same experience for Labbé, 34, a self-scribed untry girl. I didn't see gay people or hear about them. The only gay person I knew was [TV personaly] Ellen DeGener, " Labbé said of her upbrgg near Edmonton.
Two gay athlet, partners, who speak vulnerably, openly and bravely about their experienc.
20 INSPIRG GAY AND LBIAN FOOTBALL (SOCCER) PLAYERS
"It's powerful to be out and to be a gay athlete, " Simmerlg said. If I n spire, motivate or help any other athlete, whether they're gay, straight, trans, whatever, I'm happy and proud to do so.
Simmerlg and Labbé pot to the work the COC and other groups Canada have done to make sure they, along wh many other athlet who are openly gay, feel reprented, safe and clud. "We're slowly shiftg and slowly movg to a place of global acceptance, but at the same time we know there are many parts of the world that are so eply rooted homophobia. The Gam will likely see more openly gay, lbian and trans athlet petg than ever before.
At least 186 publicly out gay, lbian, bisexual, transgenr, queer and nonbary athlet were Tokyo for the Summer Olympic Gam, more than triple the number who participated at the 2016 R Gam. “Competg at the Olympics as an openly gay athlete is pretty amazg, ” Canadian swimmer Mark Thormeyer told Outsports.