Outsports has determined that at least 32 openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer athletes will compete at the Paris Summer Paralympics.
Over the past few weeks, Outsports has worked with current and former Paralympians, fans and journalists to find out who is coming out publicly at the Paris Paralympics. The list is by no means exhaustive and will likely grow in the coming days and weeks.
There were 36 openly out Paralympic athletes at Tokyo 2021, up from 12 at Rio in 2016. The numbers have risen over the past two Games, indicating that more and more athletes are coming out as LGBTQ on social media.
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Icelandic swimmer Mar Gunnarsson is one example of a new breed of athletes coming out. He said he was gay after the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics, saying “the news spread across the country and the amount of support I felt from the Icelandic public was amazing.”
For US paratriathlete Haley Dantz, coming out was a struggle, but she overcame it: “For a long time, I wasn’t proud to be gay.” She wrote in her essay for the U.S. team:A in 2022. “Instead, the main emotion I felt was embarrassment.”
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LGBTQ team for the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympics
The industry-leading database of LGBTQ athletes at the Paris 2024 Paralympics includes profiles of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and non-binary athletes. The Paralympics run from August 28 to September 8. There will be 36 open Paralympians at Tokyo 2021, compared to 12 at Rio 2016. The initial list includes first-time Paralympians, […]
Outsports | August 20, 2024
Brazilian para-judoka Alana Maldonado is using her status as a champion to raise awareness about the Olympics.
“Yes, there is a lot of bias against women in sport in general and in Paralympic competition in particular. I believe this inequality in perception still exists and that my Paralympic medal would not carry the same weight as a traditional Olympic medal,” Maldonado said. Historica Earlier this year. “Unfortunately, I still feel this difference.
“Today, female Paralympic athletes are increasingly demonstrating their strength and ability to achieve their dreams, goals and great achievements… We are increasingly fighting for this status and recognition, and we are succeeding.”
Australian wheelchair sprinter Robin Lambardwho competed in 2021, gave a great explanation of how athletes are grouped at the Paralympics, writing: “Each Paralympic sport has its own classification system which helps to ensure fair and equal competition. Athletes are classified according to the extent to which their impairment affects their sports performance.”
The Games, which run from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, will feature 4,400 athletes – including a record 1,983 women – competing in 22 sports and 549 medal events.
We ask our readers to let us know who we missed. Even if someone is not openly LGBTQ to the media, they can be included on this list if they live their life as an openly out person on social media, especially if they reveal that they are in a same-sex relationship. When in doubt, we will take a conservative view, not that being LGBTQ is a bad thing, but for the sake of accuracy.
Do you know of an openly LGBTQ athlete who is competing but not on the list? You can help us keep our database up to date by sending us updates and new information. Contact us by email at[email protected]), or Twitter/X (send me a direct message)Outdoor Sports), Instagram (Outdoor Sports) or Facebook (Outsports SBNThis list was compiled by Cyd Zeigler, Jim Buzinski, Karleigh Webb and Jon Holmes of Outsports.
Source: Outsports – www.outsports.com
