{"id":22658,"date":"2020-06-01T11:09:14","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T16:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?p=22658"},"modified":"2020-07-10T02:24:53","modified_gmt":"2020-07-10T07:24:53","slug":"10-lgbtq-sports-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/10-lgbtq-sports-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Of The Most Influential LGBTQ Sports Stars Of All Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/gaycenter.org\/about\/lgbtq\/\" target=\"_blank\">LGBTQ<\/a> community has been historically under-represented in the sporting world. Nowadays &#8211; and while there\u2019s still a long way to go &#8211; the sports world is opening up, and this is thanks in part to some of the great LGBTQ ambassadors, who have broken barriers and shattered stereotypes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we celebrate <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gay_pride\" target=\"_blank\">Pride<\/a> globally this month, we wanted to look at 10 amazing LGBTQ athletes who have really pushed the agenda and attempted to make the world of sports a more welcoming place for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. <strong>Ren\u00e9e Richards \u2013 Tennis <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"arve\" data-mode=\"normal\" data-oembed=\"1\" data-provider=\"youtube\" id=\"arve-youtube-4obpzn_ajxc66ecc9a84dd9d244118495\" style=\"max-width:900px;\">\n<span class=\"arve-inner\">\n<span class=\"arve-embed arve-embed--has-aspect-ratio\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 500 \/ 281\">\n<span class=\"arve-ar\" style=\"padding-top:56.200000%\"><\/span><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen class=\"arve-iframe fitvidsignore\" data-arve=\"arve-youtube-4obpzn_ajxc66ecc9a84dd9d244118495\" data-src-no-ap=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/4OBPzN_ajXc?feature=oembed&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;autohide=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;autoplay=0\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"505.8\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-presentation allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/4OBPzN_ajXc?feature=oembed&#038;iv_load_policy=3&#038;modestbranding=1&#038;rel=0&#038;autohide=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autoplay=0\" width=\"900\"><\/iframe>\n\n<\/span>\n\n<\/span>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"http:\\\/\\\/schema.org\\\/\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.casino.org\\\/blog\\\/10-lgbtq-sports-stars\\\/#arve-youtube-4obpzn_ajxc66ecc9a84dd9d244118495\",\"type\":\"VideoObject\",\"embedURL\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\\\/embed\\\/4OBPzN_ajXc?feature=oembed&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&autohide=1&playsinline=0&autoplay=0\"}<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Ren\u00e9e Richards isn\u2019t the\nmost famous name on this list, however she was a trailblazer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over 40 years ago, she won a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1977\/08\/17\/archives\/renee-richards-ruled-eligible-for-us-open-ruling-makes-renee.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">court battle<\/a> to play in the 1977 US Open as a woman following <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livescience.com\/39170-how-gender-reassignment-surgery-works-infographic.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">gender reassignment surgery<\/a>. The following year, she reached the final of the US Open women\u2019s doubles tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richards would then go on to become a spokesperson for transgender sportspeople, plus she\u2019d eventually coach tennis great Martina Navratilova, who\u2019ll you\u2019ll find further down this list. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. <strong>Megan Rapinoe \u2013 Soccer <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-instagram wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BzoJzdsnISW\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Megan Rapinoe is the current\ncaptain of the US national team, as well as the winner of both the Golden Ball\nand Golden Boot awards at the 2019 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup \u2013 a tournament she\nwon along with her team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rapinoe works alongside a\nnumber of LGBTQ organizations and has been awarded a place on the board of\ndirectors at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She is also a spokesperson for <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.athleteally.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Athlete Ally<\/a>, which aims to stop homophobia and transphobia in the sporting world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. <strong>Ian Thorpe \u2013 Swimming <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-instagram wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Bn5oCFohps-\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Australian Ian Thorpe \u2013 known\nby many as the \u201cThorpedo\u201d \u2013 is one of the most successful swimmers of all time.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He has won five Olympic gold\nmedals, which is the highest number won by any Australian athlete. He has also\nwon 11 gold medals at the World Championships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thorpe came out in 2004 on a\nUK TV show. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2017, he was a high-profile supporter of the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Australian_Marriage_Law_Postal_Survey\" target=\"_blank\">Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey<\/a>, campaigning in support of same-sex marriage to be legalized in Australia \u2013 something that happened that same year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. <strong>Justin Fashanu \u2013 Soccer <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"arve\" data-mode=\"normal\" data-oembed=\"1\" data-provider=\"youtube\" id=\"arve-youtube-iivhlegxdpm66ecc9a84ec1c858298853\" style=\"max-width:900px;\">\n<span class=\"arve-inner\">\n<span class=\"arve-embed arve-embed--has-aspect-ratio\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 500 \/ 281\">\n<span class=\"arve-ar\" style=\"padding-top:56.200000%\"><\/span><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen class=\"arve-iframe fitvidsignore\" data-arve=\"arve-youtube-iivhlegxdpm66ecc9a84ec1c858298853\" data-src-no-ap=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/IIVHlEGXdpM?feature=oembed&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;autohide=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;autoplay=0\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"505.8\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-presentation allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/IIVHlEGXdpM?feature=oembed&#038;iv_load_policy=3&#038;modestbranding=1&#038;rel=0&#038;autohide=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autoplay=0\" width=\"900\"><\/iframe>\n\n<\/span>\n\n<\/span>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"http:\\\/\\\/schema.org\\\/\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.casino.org\\\/blog\\\/10-lgbtq-sports-stars\\\/#arve-youtube-iivhlegxdpm66ecc9a84ec1c858298853\",\"type\":\"VideoObject\",\"embedURL\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\\\/embed\\\/IIVHlEGXdpM?feature=oembed&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&autohide=1&playsinline=0&autoplay=0\"}<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Justin Fashanu was the first British\npro soccer player to come out as gay, which he did back in 1990 via an\ninterview with the UK tabloid <em>The Sun<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eight years later, Fashanu tragically <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/justin-fashanu-found-hanged-in-lock-up-garage-1161425.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">took his own life<\/a> following allegations of sexual assault made by a teenager in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the tragic end to his story, Fashanu became a symbol for the struggle for acceptance by LGBTQ players and supporters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. <strong>Billie Jean King \u2013 Tennis <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-instagram wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B2sJDTMnNEj\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Billie Jean King is a tennis\nicon, having won an unbelievable 39 Grand Slam titles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She was, and still is, a great\nadvocate for the LGBTQ community, as well as someone who pushed the subject of\ngender equality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>King is a member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Gay_and_Lesbian_Sports_Hall_of_Fame\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She has been outspoken recently on the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/sport\/video\/2017\/jun\/01\/margaret-court-tennis-is-full-of-lesbians-audio\" target=\"_blank\">homophobic and transphobic comments<\/a> made by Margaret Court and thinks that the Margaret Court Arena \u2013 one of the courts used at the Australian Open \u2013 should be renamed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. <strong>Brian Boitano \u2013 Figure Skating <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-instagram wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BzFhqG8FwGx\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Brian Boitano was a huge name\nin sports during the 1980s and early 1990s, and the pinnacle of his career came\nwhen he won gold at the 1988 Olympics in Lillehammer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also won the World Championships\ntwice and the US National Championships four times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Boitano did not come out as\ngay while competing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/people\/news\/us-figure-skating-champion-brian-boitano-comes-out-as-gay-9017753.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">revealed his sexuality<\/a> in 2013, when he was appointed to the US delegation at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said that until then he had never wanted to come out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. <strong>Tom Daley \u2013 Diving <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-instagram wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B7jMwHJHAfQ\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Tom Daley is an English diver,\nwith two World Championship medals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first of these medals came\nwhen he was just 15. He is also the youngest diver to ever compete in an\nOlympic final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Daley came out as bisexual in\n2013 via his YouTube channel, declaring he\u2019d been in a relationship with his\npartner Dustin Lance Back since earlier in the year. They married in 2017. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He has been active in campaigning against anti-gay laws in Commonwealth countries and is also a patron of LGBT+ charity <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/switchboard.lgbt\/about-us\/\" target=\"_blank\">Switchboard<\/a> (UK).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. <strong>Orlando Cruz \u2013 Boxing <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"arve\" data-mode=\"normal\" data-oembed=\"1\" data-provider=\"youtube\" id=\"arve-youtube-c5ik2lmk-uu66ecc9a84fda5693973367\" style=\"max-width:900px;\">\n<span class=\"arve-inner\">\n<span class=\"arve-embed arve-embed--has-aspect-ratio\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 500 \/ 281\">\n<span class=\"arve-ar\" style=\"padding-top:56.200000%\"><\/span><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen class=\"arve-iframe fitvidsignore\" data-arve=\"arve-youtube-c5ik2lmk-uu66ecc9a84fda5693973367\" data-src-no-ap=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/C5IK2LmK-UU?feature=oembed&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;autohide=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;autoplay=0\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"505.8\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-presentation allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/C5IK2LmK-UU?feature=oembed&#038;iv_load_policy=3&#038;modestbranding=1&#038;rel=0&#038;autohide=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autoplay=0\" width=\"900\"><\/iframe>\n\n<\/span>\n\n<\/span>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"http:\\\/\\\/schema.org\\\/\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.casino.org\\\/blog\\\/10-lgbtq-sports-stars\\\/#arve-youtube-c5ik2lmk-uu66ecc9a84fda5693973367\",\"type\":\"VideoObject\",\"embedURL\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\\\/embed\\\/C5IK2LmK-UU?feature=oembed&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&autohide=1&playsinline=0&autoplay=0\"}<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/author\/lee-gormley\/\">Boxing<\/a> could arguably\nbe seen as the most macho of sports, which makes Orlando Cruz even more\nremarkable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Puerto Rican came out as\ngay in 2012, while still an active boxer, and went on to challenge for the WBO\nFeatherweight title in 2013 and the WBO Lightweight title in 2016, losing both\nbouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2013, Cruz married his\npartner in Central Park \u2013 the same year he was one of the first class inducted\ninto the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2018, he was also Grand Marshall for the Chicago Pride Parade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. <strong>Michael Sam \u2013 NFL<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-instagram wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BjC4JPwjM5Q\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Michael Sam is a former\ndefensive end, who was drafted in 2014 by the St. Louis Rams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Sam was drafted, he\nbecame the first publicly gay player ever in the NFL, having come out a few\nmonths beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, Sam\u2019s career\nwasn\u2019t a long one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After being cut from the Rams,\nhe was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys, however never made it past their\npractice squad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He would then go on to spend a year in the CFL. He <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nfl\/news\/michael-sam-first-openly-gay-player-retires-for-mental-health-reasons\/\" target=\"_blank\">retired in 2015<\/a> due to mental health reasons and is now a motivational speaker and author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10. <strong>Martina Navratilova \u2013 Tennis<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-instagram wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B2C-1E-AU4b\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, we come to Martina\nNavratilova, who is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She won an unbelievable 59\nGrand Slam titles, including 18 in singles competition, and spent 332 weeks as\nthe world\u2019s number one female tennis player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Navratilova is now known as an\noutspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She has previously spoken at the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. Navratilova also supports animal rights and humanitarian causes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are obviously a ton more amazing sports stars we would have loved to include! If you enjoyed reading this why not check out our other similar posts, like <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"10 sports stars who meditate (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/10-sports-stars-who-meditate\/\" target=\"_blank\">10 sports stars who meditate<\/a> or <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"10 sports stars who cheated (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/10-sports-stars-who-cheated\/\" target=\"_blank\">10 sports stars who cheated<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sources:<br><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_LGBT_sportspeople\n (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_LGBT_sportspeople\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_LGBT_sportspeople<br><\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"https:\/\/www.thesportster.com\/entertainment\/top-15-famous-transgender-athletes\/\n (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thesportster.com\/entertainment\/top-15-famous-transgender-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.thesportster.com\/entertainment\/top-15-famous-transgender-athletes\/<br><\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"https:\/\/www.insider.com\/professional-athletes-who-are-lgbtq (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.insider.com\/professional-athletes-who-are-lgbtq\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.insider.com\/professional-athletes-who-are-lgbtq<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The LGBTQ community has been historically under-represented in the sporting world. Nowadays &#8211; and while there\u2019s still a long way&nbsp;&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":22671,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,18],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>10 of the Most Influential LGBTQ Sports Stars of All Time<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We list 10 amazing LGBTQ athletes who have really pushed the agenda and attempted to make the world of sports a more welcoming place for all.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/10-lgbtq-sports-stars\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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