Which 2017 olympians are gay

We're queer. Get used to it" was the message. In an emotional interview with Ski Sunday in , Kenworthy said of all the things he has done in his life, he was most proud of coming out. I felt like I had a lot to lose and was going to lose it all so I was scared". But since then, he says he has received messages of support and even others saying he has helped them come out to their parents or friends. Rippon has also received support from Hollywood actor and Oscar winner Reece Witherspoon.

He was cool about it She could also be sleeper pick for a medal there. A longshot to keep an eye on? Brazilian volleyballer Tiffany Abreu. The team was left reeling in a upset loss to China on their home floor in Rio in and finished fifth.

However, Abreu can still impress enough in the Superliga season ahead to get a chance at a roster spot for Team Brazil. Over the last dozen years a couple of Olympic locations may have hurt the number of out athletes. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in Japan for more than a hundred years, and trans people do have a path to legally change their gender.

Tokyo, which will host the Games, has anti-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation. We can safely assume it will be more than four years ago, and we think it will be more than 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. Meanwhile, Orlando Cruz became the first openly gay man in boxing. Fallon Fox is the first openly transgender professional MMA fighter.

Glenn Burke is often credited with being the first gay man in the MLB. I concealed my emotions. Nearly 2, athletes from 88 countries gathered in Sochi, but only seven of them were out , according to the LGBTQ sports site Outsports. Of these seven athletes, not one was American, and all were women.

Now, nearly four years later, Fennell is one of three publicly out male athletes competing to qualify for the Pyeongchang Games.

He is joined by figure skater Adam Rippon and freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, who came out publicly after winning the silver medal in Sochi. An openly gay man has never competed for the U. Fennell will find out if he makes the U. Olympic luge team on Friday, and Rippon and Kenworthy will know their Olympic status by early January.

But there were only 11 men — and none on Team USA.