If the culture of sports continues to exclude LGBTQ people from a young age, the number of professional athletes who publicly identify as queer and transgender likely won't move much higher, he said.
Denison's research finds that most LGBTQ athletes leave their sports as young people, a departure driven by a culture of homophobic language and stereotypes. Griner said in that she was told not to be more public about her sexuality by her coach at Baylor University -- that if the school "condoned" her sexuality, it may deter recruits from the school's athletics program.
Daley has said that while he's accepted in his sport of diving, he often competes against divers from countries where being gay is criminalized. And Rapinoe in said that, as a kid, she "would have loved to have more information" about what it meant to be gay and why using homophobic slurs was wrong. North America's four biggest pro sports leagues have been around a combined years. They've had two openly gay active players.
When coaches and teammates use gay slurs frequently, it sends the message that the language is harmless and OK to use -- and solidifies the belief that all members of the team are heterosexual, Denison said. But we can assume that in many cases, gay players will just drop out of their sport.
That's a problem for professional sports -- with few gay players in sport, there will be even fewer who will make it professionally. And young people who could have continued to play for leisure will miss an opportunity to stay active and bond with teammates, Denison said.
Here's who won gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday. The world of men's and boys' sports is still tied to a very narrow view of masculinity -- "ideas about maleness that demand heterosexuality," she said. Women and girls in sports are confronted by gendered expectations, too, Schweighofer and Denison said. Their participation in sports seen as "aggressive," like rugby or wrestling, challenges the narrow definition of femininity that sees women as more fragile and less physically able than men, Schweighofer said.
The same homophobic norms that affect men in sports impact women and girls, too, and they originated in the 19th century , Denison said. While men were encouraged to participate in sports to flex their aggression and male dominance, women were advised against participating in sports, he said.
Some Olympic athletes have used the platform to come out publicly for the first time. Among them is Polish rower Katarzyna Zillmann, whose team claimed silver in the quadruple sculls.
She went to the opening ceremony with rainbow accents on her mask, as she said "I represent Poland and I wish for the equal rights".
For street skateboarder Alana Smith, participating in the Olympics was at least as much about making a statement as winning a medal. I chose my happiness over medaling. A post shared by Alana Smith alanasmithskate. Such outspokenness has been made somewhat easier by reforms to Olympic rules — specifically, part On July 2, the IOC somewhat loosened this rule.
While athletes are still banned from expressing political opinions during competition and on the podium, as well as during the opening and closing ceremonies, they may now speak more freely with reporters, on social media and in team meetings before and after they compete. This freedom comes with many caveats, however.
Some would have liked to see the reforms go further. Not because. In , Gus Kenworthy won the silver medal at the Sochi Olympic games for skiing. Just a year later, the freeskier made headlines again when he came out. Recently though, I've gotten to the point where the pain of holding onto the lie is greater than the fear of letting go, and I'm very proud to finally be letting my guard down. At the Olympic Games, Caitlyn Jenner won a gold medal and set a world record , skyrocketing her to fame.
Through the decades, she stayed in the public eye with the help of endorsements, and eventually, she starred alongside her family in the reality show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
I think people think when you transition, it is this tremendous thing, and now you're a totally different person. I'm still the same person. Caitlyn lived inside me all my life. Johnny Weir is considered a superstar in the world of figure skating. He first made a name for himself on the international field at the Olympic games in and Since then, Weir crossed into mainstream media , appearing in his own reality show called "Be Good Johnny Weir" and hosting several lifestyle talk show segments.
In , he published his memoir in which he came out as gay. It is something that simply is and something I was born into," Weir tweeted in I am forever indebted however, to the warriors who came before me that allow me to lead the life I do so openly. In , Adam Rippon came out in an interview for Skating magazine, so when he qualified for the winter Olympics, he made history. He became the first openly gay American to go to the Games. But to me, it felt like they were trying to insult me and I felt so exposed in front of all of my classmates and my peers.
I felt embarrassed and I didn't know why and I didn't even know what being gay really meant. But I also remember feeling badly for them. I remember being grateful that I got to do something that I really liked every single day. Greg Louganis won four gold medals and one silver medal at three Olympic Games from to as a diver, but it wasn't until that he came out as gay. The following year, he announced he was also living with AIDS. I think there is less of that. There is much more sensitivity, and people are much more open.
Just look at how many athletes have come out now. In May, the International Weightlifting Federation reduced the number of qualifying requirements for the Toyko Olympics this summer, effectively setting New Zealand's Laurel Hubbard to be the first transgender Olympian.
Before transitioning in , Hubbard competed in weightlifting competitions as a man, but another Olympic rule change in has allowed transgender athletes to compete in the games. I actually hope that like one day videos like this and the whole coming-out process are just not necessary, but until then I'm going to do my best and my part to cultivate a culture that's accepting, that's compassionate. Nassib's coming out had made history, as he is now the first openly gay man to actively play in the NFL.
World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Frank Olito.
Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Billie Jean King, a professional tennis player, was outed in Michael Sam was the first openly gay man to be drafted into the NFL.
Ryan Russell became the first openly bisexual person in the NFL and in any major professional league. Soccer star Megan Rapinoe is openly gay. Robbie Rogers was the first openly gay soccer player in a professional league. Patricio Manuel became the first openly transgender professional boxer.
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