Johan Kenkhuis of the Netherlands

Olympics, 2004. There had been the occasional out athlete at the Olympics before, but 2004 was a coming out party for Olympians. All told at least 11 openly gay athletes participated in the Olympics in the birthplace of the Games. From Outsports’ preview of the Games:

The 11 are: Robert Dover (American equestrian rider and subject of a terrific profile); Guenter Seidel (an American on the equestrian team), Carl Hester (British dressage team),  Blyth Tait (a champion New Zealand horseman), Rob Newton (British hurdler), tennis players Amelie Mauresmo, Conchita Martinez and Martina Navratilova, Dutch swimmer Johan Kenkhuis (who came out earlier this year, and won won silver in the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay), German cyclist Judith Arndt and female German fencer Imke Duplitzer (who lost in the quarterfinals).

It was these Olympics, with various out athletes from various sports and several countries, that made a statement about athletes’ sexual orientation. With several of them winning medals, 2004 was in large part a precursor to the frenzy that would erupt four years later in diving.

There had been seven out athletes in Sydney in 2000, so the 11 in 2004 was a 50% increase. Interestingly, though maybe not surprisingly, we knew of fewer out competitors in 2008 in Beijing than in 2004. We’re guessing 2012 could bring us over a dozen openly gay athletes.

For more information:

• Only 11 competing in Athens are publicly out
• Outsports’ 2004 Athens notebook

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Tennis, 2006. Amelie Mauresmo seemingly had nothing to prove. She had reached the world No. 1 ranking in 2004 and was the first lesbian to reach the pinnacle of women’s tennis after publicly declaring her homosexuality.  Yet the reputation that built around her was that she let her nerves get the best of her in the big matches. To some it was a swipe at her sexual orientation and the pressures around being openly gay, being called the “greatest women’s player never to win a Grand Slam.

When Mauresmo won the Australian Open in 2006, she put most of that to rest. It was her first Grand Slam title, but Justine Henin retired in the second set of the championship with Mauresmo leading, 6-1, 2-0. Many squawked that Henin did not want to lose to a lesbian; She’d rather retire from the match than give Mauresmo the satisfaction.

Six months later, Mauresmo got the win she so desperately wanted for her legacy. Again facing Henin in the final, Mauresmo quickly lost the first set, 2-6. Reporters were already writing columns questioning the validity of her Australian Open win. Yet Mauresmo put her “nerves” aside and rallied for the biggest win of her career, finishing off Henin, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Mauresmo joked after the tournament, ”I don’t want anyone to talk about my nerves any more.”

Mauresmo retired in late 2009 with 25 career titles, two of which were these Grand Slams in 2006.

For more information:

• Mauresmo’s Wikipedia page
• Greg Garber column on Mauresmo at 2006 Wimbledon

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But sports have changed significantly since then; Instead of showing that change, they somehow spun Amelie Mauresmo’s and John Amaechi’s coming out as those people having to pay a price. But the reality is Mauresmo became the No. 1 tennis player in the world after she came out, and Amaechi had a best-selling book and gained an endorsement deal because he came out. It was the people who uttered the homophobic comments, not the athletes toward whom they were directed, who suffered a price.

Forget about “the gay agenda,” this is just bad journalism. Reading the article you’d think these people all regret coming out. Certainly Fashanu’s suicide was a horrible tragedy; But athletes today face great rewards, not great ridicule, for coming out. Just look at Gareth Thomas and Blake Skjellerup, both of whom have garnered international attention and countless opportunities because they came out.

I hope the Mirror quickly runs a piece on the “Benefits gay sports stars have found for coming out!”

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I’d been pursuing Mauresmo for an interview for the better part of 20 months, so I was pleased and somewhat surprised when word came that she’d finally agreed to do it – she rarely talks about her sexual orientation anymore. But as it turned out, my request had been miscommnicated: She thought the interview was for another publication, not The Advocate. As we sat down in the players’ garden at the U.S. Open in August and I asked why she’d decided to chat, she looked confused and startled. When the tan, fit Frenchwoman, dressed in shorts and a sleeveless athletic top, finally understood what was up, she leaned forward in her chair. I figured she was about to stand, politely decline, and leave.

“So what do we do?” she asked. I said it was up to her. She sat back and barely hestitated. “Yeah, whatever.”

Mauresmo’s reticence to talk about her personal life is clear in the article; She actually refuses to answer the interviewer’s questions about whom she’s dating. What does come through is that she really doesn’t want to talk about being a lesbian pro tennis player. Unlike Martina Navratilova (who’s certainly had plenty of time to adjust to the idea), it seems Mauresmo is still building her legacy as a player and doesn’t want her sexuality to deter that. Hopefully she’ll open up a little more once her playing days are over.

You can watch Mauresmo in the Australian Open starting Jan. 19.

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