Last week, sports columnist Steve Buckley came out of the closet. Given the amount of homophobia in the sports industry and the relative shortage of openly LGBT sports figures, having a noted columnist come clean about his gay sexual orientation is still a big deal (though fortunately it's becoming progressively less and less of a big deal).Buckley's article in the Boston Herald, "Welcome to My coming Out Party," has been well received. Buckley says his mother told him to write the piece seven years ago, but when she died mere months later, he lost his nerve. “I’ve put this off long enough,” he said. “For too many years I’ve been on the sidelines of Boston’s gay community … figuratively and literally, as I feel I would have had a pretty good career in the (gay) Beantown Softball League.”
Every bit of visibility is good. Here are some of the most prominent LGBT names associated with various sports:
- Martina Navratilova, tennis player, came out in 1981
- Greg Louganis, swimmer, came out as gay and HIV+ in 1994
- Mike Penner, sports columnist, came out as trans in 2007
- John Amaechi, NBA player, came out in 2007
- Gareth Thomas, rugby player, came out in 2009
- Johnny Weir, figure skater, came out in 2011
Wikipedia has a "List of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender sportspeople," which currently includes these atheletes:
A
- Allard, Jenny, US-American softball player[1]
- Amaechi, John, basketball player (2007)[1]
- Annan, Alyson, field hockey Gold medalist[2]
- Arndt, Judith, cyclist[3]
B
- Bagger, Mianne, pro golfer (2005)[4]
- Bean, Billy, baseball player (1999)[5]
- Berling, Thomas, footballer (2001)[6]
- Burke, Glenn, baseball outfielder (1993)[7]
- Byears, Latasha, basketball player (2003)[8]
C
- Calderon, J.P., volleyball player and coach (2007)[9]
- Cook, Natalie, beach volleyballer (2008) [10]
- Cranston, Toller, figure skater [11]
- Curry, John, figure skater (1976)[12]
- Cusack, Dónal Óg, hurler (2009)[13]
D
- Didrikson, Babe, athlete, golfer and baseballer[14]
- Drolet, Nancy, hockey player (2002) [15]
- Dumaresq, Michelle, mountain biker (2002)[16]
- Duplitzer, Imke, Olympic fencer[17]
F
- Fashanu, Justin, footballer (1988)[18]
- Fernández, Gigi, tennis professional[15]
G
- Galindo, Rudy, Olympic figure skater (1996)[19]
- Gallagher, Ed, offensive lineman for the University of Pittsburgh (1985)[20]
- Giove, Missy, mountain biker (1994)[21]
- Goldstein, Andrew, lacrosse goalie (2003)[22]
- Guetschow, Joan, Olympic biathlete (1992, 1994)[23]
H
- Hall, Matthew, figure skater (1992)[24]
- Hammerseng, Gro, Handball player (2002)[25]
- Hawkins, Kyle, Collegiate lacrosse coach (2006)[26]
- Hayes, Bruce, Olympic swimmer[27]
- Holst, Erika, ice hockey player (2006)[28]
- Hull Jacobs, Helen, Tennis champion[29]
- Hundvin, Mia, Norwegian handball player[30]
J
- Jeffrey, Patrick, Olympic diver (1996)[31]
- Jones, Rosie, Golfer[15]
- Jordan, Orlando, American professional wrestler. (2006)[32]
K
- Karlsson, Peter, ice hockey player[33]
- Kenkhuis, Johan, Olympic swimmer (2004)[34]
- King, Billie Jean, tennis professional (1981)[35]
- Kloss, Ilana, Tennis player[36]
- Kopay, David, NFL running back (1975)[37]
- Kowalski, Daniel, Australian freestyle swimmer[38]
L
- Leduc, Mark, Olympic boxer (1994)[39]
- Lindberg, Ylva, ice hockey player (2006)[28]
- Louganis, Greg, Olympic diver (1994)[15]
M
- Mandlíková, Hana, tennis professional [40]
- Martínez, Conchita, tennis professional[15]
- Mauresmo, Amélie, tennis professional (1999) [40]
- McCall, Rob figure skater (posthumous) [41]
- Metcalf, Holly, Olympic rower[42]
- Mitcham, Matthew, Olympic diver (2008)[43]
- Morgan, Chris, powerlifter[44]
N
- Navratilova, Martina, tennis professional [45]
- Novotna, Jana, tennis professional [46]
- Nepela, Ondrej, figure skater [11]
- Newton, Rob, Athlete[47]
- Nyad, Diana, swimmer [48]
- Nyberg, Katja, Handball player[49]
O
- O'Meara, Ryan, figure skater (ice dancing discipline) (2008).[50]
- Orser, Brian, Olympic figure skater (1998)[51]
- Owens, Nigel, Welsh International rugby union referee (2007).[52]
- Obziler, Tzipora (2007), tennis player[46]
P
- Paris, Bob, bodybuilder (1983)[53]
- Patterson, Pat, former professional wrestler[15]
- Pichler, David, Olympic diver (1996)[54]
- Pockar, Brian, figure skater (posthumous) [41]
R
- Raymond, Lisa, tennis player[55]
- Richards, Renee, tennis player (1976)[56]
- Robbins, Kelly, Golfer[57]
- Roberts, Ian, rugby league player (1995)[58]
- Rossner, Petra, Cyclist[3]
S
- Sheehan, Patty, Golfer[59]
- Skofterud, Vibeke Westbye, Norwegian cross country skier [60]
- Simmons, Roy, NFL offensive guard (1992)[15]
- Skjellerup, Blake, Olympic short-track speed skater (2010)[61]
- Smith, Jerry, NFL tight end (1977)[62]
- Spencer-Devlin, Muffin, golf professional (1996) [45]
- Stubbs, Rennae, tennis professional[63]
- Swoopes, Sheryl, basketball player (2005)[64]
T
- Tait, Blyth Olympic Equestrian[65]
- Tewksbury, Mark, Olympic swimmer[42]
- Thate, Carole, Field hockey Bronze medalist[2]
- Tilden, Bill, tennis professional (1920)[66]
- Tinling, Ted, Tennis professional[67]
- Thomas, Gareth, Rugby Player - Cardiff Blues, Wales and British and Irish Lions professional rugby player (2009)[68]
- Tuaolo, Esera, NFL professional football player (2002)[69]
V
- Van Gorp, Michele, basketball player (2004)[15]
- Vaillancourt, Sarah, Canadian ice hockey player[70]
- Vizaniari, Lisa-Marie, Olympic Athlete and Boxer[15]
- Veatch, Dan, Olympic swimmer[71]
- Vizaniari, Lisa-Marie, Olympic Athlete and Boxer[15]
W
- Waddell, Tom, Olympic decathlete and creator of the Gay Games (1968)[72]
- Wallace, Ji, Australian trampoline gymnast[73]
- Wauters, Ann, basketball player [74]
- Webb, Karrie, golfer[75]
- Whipple, Diane, lacrosse player[76]
- Wicks, Sue, basketball player (2000)[77]
- Wilson, David, figure skater, choreographer[78]
- Wüst, Ireen, Dutch ice speed skater[79]
- Wykes, Alissa, American footballer [15]
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