In every year, there are LGBTQ athletes whose achievements and authenticity allow us all to make strides in sports.
Since the first LGBTQ History Month was held in the U.S. in October 1994, our community has had a dedicated time in the calendar to appreciate how we all stand on the shoulders of giants.
Five years later, Outsports went live on the World Wide Web. What began as a community where gay folks could talk about sports grew into a destination for coming out stories, athlete advocacy and the celebration of “Team LGBTQ” at major events such as the Olympics and Paralympics.
Anniversaries remind us just how far we’ve come, and the milestones we passed along the way.
Get off the sidelines and into the game
Our weekly newsletter is packed with everything from locker room chatter to pressing LGBTQ sports issues.
At the start of LGBTQ History Month 2024, we’ve selected 6 athlete moments from the Outsports archives that continue to inspire us.
Who will be the LGBTQ history makers of tomorrow in sports? It will always be the case that courage is contagious…
5 years ago… CeCé Telfer becomes first out trans NCAA track and field champion
At the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor T&F Championships in Texas, trans athlete Telfer made history by winning the women’s 400m hurdles final. By that time, her participation was already the subject of fierce criticism but she had strong support from her coach and her team at New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce University. She went on to be named Outsports Female Athlete of the Year. When promoting her autobiography in June of this year, Telfer told Karleigh Webb that she wants her story to encourage young people to “stand in their resilience.”
10 years ago… Michael Sam is drafted by the St Louis Rams
Sam had come out to his supportive University of Missouri teammates in August 2013 before going public the following February. His stated ambition was to play in the NFL but no out gay player had ever been drafted before, and some anonymous execs said they expected him to go unpicked. But three months later, he was selected — the St Louis Rams made him the 249th player out of 256 to be drafted. Although Sam would be cut from the Rams roster, he “elevated the conversation” about gay and bi players in the NFL to a new level, as Cyd Zeigler wrote earlier this year.
10 years ago… Robbie Rogers lifts MLS Cup with LA Galaxy
President Obama said it best when he welcomed Rogers and his Galaxy teammates to the White House a few weeks after their MLS Cup triumph. “My guess is that, as an athlete, Robbie wants to win first and foremost — that’s what competition is all about. But, Robbie, you’ve also inspired a whole lot of folks here and around the world, and we are very proud of you.” Initially when coming out, Rogers had stepped away from soccer but the Galaxy lured him back and not only was he the first out gay man in a top professional U.S. league, but he also became a key player in their 2014 championship-winning side. Inspirational? Absolutely.
15 years ago… Gareth Thomas becomes first out gay player in professional rugby
There are several standout elements to Thomas’s story. He had won 100 international caps for Wales, playing in four World Cups; he was still active at the top level, in one of the most physically demanding team sports; he had been married to a woman for several years; and he came close to taking his own life before coming out in 2009. Outsports noted how the number of role models that Thomas, then aged 35, might have had around this time was “desperately low.” He carried on playing for Cardiff Blues, then switched rugby codes, and even appeared on “The Ellen Show.” A decade later, he announced he is living with HIV which helped to break down even more barriers and stigma in sports.
25 years ago… Amelie Mauresmo casually comes out en route to Australian Open final
Women’s tennis already had high-profile out lesbian pioneers in Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, plus several players in the 1990s known to be gay within the sport, in an age before social media. But there was much about how Mauresmo went public that makes her coming out significant. She was only 19 and her sexuality had been the subject of whispers on tour before she excelled at the 1999 Australian Open. There, she faced lesbophobic and transphobic comments from more than one opponent. But she owned being gay, speaking candidly about her love for her girlfriend to the media and attributing her run to the final to feeling more comfortable in herself on and off the court. She would go on to win both the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles in the same calendar year.
30 years ago… Greg Louganis tells Gay Games athletes “it’s great to be out and proud”
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Louganis wasn’t actually there in person when he came out publicly at the fourth Gay Games — a scheduling conflict meant he had to pre-record his Opening Ceremony address. But by mentioning that he included himself among the “gay and lesbian athletes” who would be there (he later took part in an exhibition in NYC), he liberated himself. “People called me to say that everyone went wild… you’d never guess what it took to get to that point in my life,” he wrote in his autobiography. “For the first time, I felt like a complete person.”
Discover more historic LGBTQ sports moments from yesteryear in our History archive.
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