Pablo S. Torre and David Epstein have delivered possibly the most comprehensive article on trans athletes we’ve ever seen in the media. Simply titled The Transgender Athlete, the Sports Illustrated story revisits athletes like Key Allums and Keelin Godsey, whom we’ve written about on Outsports, in addition to some fascinating new figures. Lindsey Walker, a [...]
Posts under ‘Olympics’
Portraits: U.S. Olympic athletes
Top medal hopefuls from the U.S. Olympic team were on hand in Dallas this weekend for a media meet-and-greet. US PRESSWIRE sent photographers to get some terrific portraits of some of the athletes. The male Olympians there were swimmers Michael Phelps and Alex Meyer, sprinter Wallace Spearmon, taekwondo’s Steven Lopez, fencer Alexander Massiaias, archer Brady [...]
WNBA star Seimone Augustus is an out lesbian
The Advocate has a great piece on out lesbian Minnesota Lynx star Seimone Augustus, who will be part of Team USA basketball this summer in London. What makes Michelle Garcia’s article so great is how much it focuses on Augustus the athlete, not Augustus the lesbian. Garcia touches on that, as we learn about the [...]
Gay gymnast Josh Dixon gets lots of attention, but he’s focused on the Olympics
Our story earlier this week about Olympic gymnastics hopeful Josh Dixon got lots of attention, but he told the San Jose Mercury News that’s not why he came out publicly. Headed into the national championships in a few weeks, he is focused on being a great athlete first and foremost. Dixon, of San Jose, has [...]
French Olympic swimmers model for HOM underwear – photos and video
Thanks to the folks at HOM for bringing us the French Olympic swim team just as we like them. What I love most about the video and photo shoot HOM put together is how much fun these guys are having in front of the camera. There’s no worry about not getting too close to their [...]
Pride House canceled for London Olympics
After two years of promotion for what was supposed to be the biggest, flashiest, gayest presence at the Olympics, organizers have canceled Pride House for the London Games, according to Pink News. While the idea was big, sponsors and funding were nowhere to be found. Unfortunately for the event, it’s tough to find big American companies [...]
U.S. women’s soccer star and Olympian Megan Rapinoe appears to come out as lesbian
U.S. star women’s soccer player Megan Rapinoe, who will be on the Olympic team, answered “we’re out there” when asked when a high-profile player would come out. It was a rather novel way to answer the question. Here is the appropriate part from a video interview with Rapinoe on KickTV (video below): Q: Do you [...]
Josh Dixon comes out as gay, aims for spot on Olympic gymnastics team
The United States has never had a publicly out male gymnast participate in the Olympics. Josh Dixon hopes to be the first. The Stanford grad took a big step toward that goal at the U.S. Men’s Qualifier on Saturday in Colorado Springs, finishing second overall out of the 72 competitors. He also tied for wins [...]
Caster Semenya qualifies for London Olympics in 800m
South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya has qualified for the London Olympics in the 800m. In doing so, she clocked the first sub-2-minute time in South Africa in 21 years. After the historic race, Semenya thanked God: I feel very special to run it after 21-years. I know in 2009 I was nearly there, but [...]
Indian boxer Vijender Singh enjoys being a gay icon
Here is a nice, refreshing story from India, where 2008 Olympic bronze medal boxer Vijender Singh says he enjoys being a gay icon. “It’s nice to be desired,” said the 26-year-old, who will compete in the London Olympics. But how does the angel react to rumors of his link-ups with both men and women and [...]
Former New Zealand diver Simon Latimer chosen as Olympics diving judge
Simon Latimer, a former elite diver from New Zealand who wrote about his coming out for Outsports five year ago, will be a judge in the diving competition during the London Summer Olympics. He told GayNZ: “I like it because it’s instantaneous. And it’s an opportunity for you to give your opinion. In some other [...]
Eye on sports: Our favorite photos of the week
We present our favorite photos of the past sports week. This week’s offerings include baseball and soccer celebrations, college football in the spring, the NBA, fencing, Olympic trials kayaking, swimming and Cristiano Ronaldo. Click image for larger view (and on that image for an even larger view): Share on Facebook
Mark Tewksbury excited about being Canada’s Olympics face
Former gold medal swimmer Mark Tewksbury has embraced his role as chef de mission for the Canadian Olympics team heading to London . Basically, he “will be front and center, the go-to man for athletes, the media and, ultimately, armchair fans across the nation.” He’s also openly gay, a factor that played no role in [...]
United States Figure Skating falls flat at the World Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships concluded in Nice, France last weekend, but don’t be surprised if you missed it. For the first year in recent memory the Worlds did not receive a moment of live broadcast time on any major network. Taking into account what happened, this might be for the best. In an era [...]
Paul Hamm retires from gymnastics
U.S. Olympic gymnast Paul Hamm announced his retirement yesterday, as he tried to make it back to the Olympics for the first time since 2004; He missed 2008 with an injury. Hamm said his body, at 29 years old, simply couldn’t handle the rigors of training, and that he faced more injuries. I talked to [...]
British see red, or lack of it, in new Olympic uniforms
The Team Britain Olympic uniforms, designed by Stella McCartney, were unveiled to some critical reviews. The chief complaint — there was not enough red in them and they were so blue they looked too Scottish. And sports psychologists said the lack of red was a competitive mistake. Professor Robert Barton co-authored a report in 2005, [...]
Michael Phelps, Head & Shoulders kick off impending flood of Olympic commercials
Michael Phelps and Head & Shoulders seem to be one of the first combos out of the gate with an Olympics-inspired commercial. This one features the Olympic gold medalist in a shower and a pool. While we’re not complaining about seeing his body on screen for 30 seconds, it’s funny to see a shampoo commercial [...]
2 gay sports figures chosen to help carry the Olympics torch
Two men associated with gay sports are among the 7,300 torch bearers selected to carry the Olympic torch throughout Britain in the run-up to the the Summer Games. Tim Sullivan, chairman of London’s gay rugby team King’s Cross Steelers, and Chris Basiurski, who heads the Gay Football Supporters’ Network, will be among those carrying the [...]
Russian judge bans Pride House from 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics
Vancouver and soon London have both hosted a Pride House at the last two Olympic Games as a beacon for gay fans and athletes. A gay-rights group in Russia had hoped to host a similar locale in Sochi at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Last year they were banned from doing so by the Russian Ministry [...]
London Olympics volunteers quizzed on how to deal with gay issues
The London Olympics organizers are putting potential volunteers through diversity training in anticipation of athletes and fans from all parts of the world coming to the city. Among the questions on a quiz, helpfully provided by the London Telegraph, is this one dealing with gays: Sexual Orientation: A spectator complains to you that there are [...]