Olympian gay
Gay Olympian: The Life and Death of Dr. Tom Waddell
He was a accurate Renaissance man - an outstanding college athlete, a first-rate military and civilian doctor, a member of the 1968 U.S. Olympic team, a leader in the American gay group, and the father of a young girl. This is the story of Tom Waddell, who was born to a working-class family in New Jersey but left his troubled home as a teenager, a time when he began to realize that he might be queer. He found refuge in the company of Hazel and Gene Waddell, former vaudevillians who encouraged and embraced him, and at Springfield College, a jock's school where he was the ultimate jock - and where he courted women, despite his instincts to the contrary. After college he went on to medical school, and served in the army as a doctor. While in the service he tried out for and made the Olympic squad and in Mexico Municipality finished sixth in the decathlon, the most hard track-and-field event. Had he run a little more swiftly, he would own claimed the gold medal. Tom's life continued to be remarkable thereafter. He was for several years a physician to the Saudi Arabian royal court, he practiced medicine in San Francisco and
Meet the Out LGBTQ+ Team USA Athletes Competing in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
by HRC Staff •
With the 2024 Olympics right around the corner, we couldn’t think of a better way to support Team USA than lifting up the incredible Gay athletes leaving their mark in Paris.
At least 29 openly LGBTQ+ athletes are on Team USA’s Olympic roster this year, with most either playing basketball or rowing. A record-setting 186 out LGBTQ+ athletes participated in the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021, and this year there’s at least 144 competing. There’s also a number of firsts when it comes to LGBTQ representation this year: Kayla Miracle is the first out LGBTQ Olympic wrestler, and Nico Youthful is the first out gay male U.S. track Olympian, to name a few.
Chelsea Gray
Chelsea Gray will rejoin the USA women's national basketball team this year, having contributed to their gold medal win in the previous Summer Olympics held in Tokyo. Currently playing as a indicate guard in the WNBA for the Las Vegas Aces, Gray is a three-time WNBA champion and was named the 2022 WNBA Finals MVP. Since 2019, Gray has been married to fellow athlete
According to OutSports, at least 155 out LGBTQ athletes from 25 countries will compete in this year’s Olympic Games in Paris.
In fact, historically, LGBTQ athletes have been so successful that if they were to form their own country (Team LGBTQ), they would place 7th overall in the all-time Olympic medal count.
From historic achievements, to personal journeys of resilience, these athletes not only embody sporting excellence but are contributing to the rich history of LGBTQ visibility at the extreme level of sport.
Sha’Carri Richardson, she/her | (USA – Path & Field)
Sha’Carri Richardson has etched her name into the annals of Route and Field with her unmatched combine of speed, manner and resilience. Her journey to becoming one of the fastest women on Earth began at Louisiana State University. As a Freshman, she shattered records at the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships–including Allyson Felix’s 2004 200-meter Olympic record–setting the stage for her meteoric rise in the sport.
Years later, Richardson had an amazing performance at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials and secured her detect on Team USA for Tokyo. However, due to a con
A Brief History of Openly Homosexual Olympians
Americans Adam Rippon and Gus Kenworthy are the latest LGBTQ athletes to go for the gold
Watching figure skater Adam Rippon compete, it’s easy to neglect that he’s on skates. His dramatic, sharp movements – and facial expressions to match–emulate those of a professional dancer, at once complementing and contradicting his smooth, unfettered movement along the ice. He hides the technical difficulty of every jump and spin with head-flips and a commanding gaze, a performer as well as an athlete. But there’s one thing Rippon won’t be hiding – this year, he and freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy will become the first openly gay American men to ever compete in the Winter Olympics.
“The atmosphere in the nation has changed dramatically,” says Cyd Zeigler, who co-founded Outsports, a news website that highlights the stories of LGBT athletes, in 1999. “Two men getting married wasn’t even a possibility when we started Outsports. Now it’s a reality in Birmingham, Alabama. There are gay role models at every turn – on television, on local sports, and in our communities.”
Even so, the last time that the Together States sent an openly lgbtq+ man to any Olym