There will be at least a record 42 publicly out lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer athletes competing in the Paris Summer Paralympics, Outsports has determined.
Over the last few weeks Outsports has enlisted the help of current and former Paralympians, fans and journalists in determining who is publicly out at the Paris Paralympics. The list is by no means exhaustive, and it will grow in the coming days and weeks. In fact, it grew from 32 to 42 in the days since this story went live.
See the list of out LGBTQ Paralympians.
There were 36 out Paralympians in Tokyo in 2021, and a dozen in Rio in 2016. The increasing numbers the last two Games show how more and more athletes are coming out as LGBTQ, many on social media.
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Mar Gunnarsson, a swimmer from Iceland, is an example of the new breed of out athletes. He talked about being gay after the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics and said “the news went viral here and the amount of support I felt from the Icelandic nation was amazing.”
For U.S. para triathlete Hailey Danz, coming out was a struggle, but one she has overcome. “For a long time, I didn’t feel pride in being gay,” she wrote in an essay for Team USA in 2022. “On the contrary, the primary emotion I felt was shame.”
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Team LGBTQ at the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympics
Our industry-leading database of out LGBTQ athletes at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris will include profiles of the out gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and nonbinary athletes. The Paralympics take place Aug. 28-Sept. 8. In Tokyo 2021 there were 36 out Paralympians, and 12 in Rio in 2016. The initial list will include first-time Paralympians, […]
By Outsports | August 20, 2024
Para judoka Alana Maldonado of Brazil is using her platform as a champion to raise awareness about the Games.
“Yes, there is a lot of prejudice against women in sports in general, especially in Paralympic sports. I think this inequality of recognition persists, and my Paralympic medal would not carry the same weight as a traditional Olympic medal,” Maldonado told Historica earlier this year. “I still feel this difference, unfortunately.
“Today, the female Paralympic athlete increasingly shows strength and ability to achieve her dreams, objectives and significant results … we are increasingly fighting for this space and recognition, and we have been succeeding.”
Australian wheelchair sprinter Robyn Lambird, who competed in 2021, gave a great explanation of how athletes are grouped at the Paralympics, writing: “Each Paralympic sport has its own system of classification, which helps to ensure fair and equal competition. Athletes are classified depending on the amount of impact their impairment has on their sporting performance.”
The Games, which run Aug. 28 through Sept.. 8, will feature 4,400 athletes (including a record 1,983 women) in 22 sports and 549 medal events.
We rely on our readers to let us know who we have missed. If someone has not made a public declaration to the media that they are LGBTQ, they can still be included on this list if they are openly living their life as an out person on social media, particularly if they have made clear they are in a same-sex relationship. We err on the conservative side if we are not sure, not because there’s anything wrong with being LGBTQ but in the interest of accuracy.
Know of an out LGBTQ athlete who’s competing but not listed? Help us keep our database current by contacting us with any updates or new information. Reach out via email ([email protected]), or direct message us on Twitter/X (@outsports), Instagram (@outsports) or Facebook (OutsportsSBN). This list was compiled by Cyd Zeigler, Jim Buzinski, Karleigh Webb, and Jon Holmes of Outsports.
