Gay olympic athletes 2024
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 Diverse 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 New 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 aim 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
This year, the Paris Olympics welcomed 195 out LGBTQ athletes competing across 32 different sports, a significant increase from the 186 who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Games. And these athletes did more than just present up–they dominated the field. After 16 days of intense challenge, a total of 65 athletes, roughly 33%, won at least one medal. That is nearly double the percentage of out LGBTQ athletes who took place a medal in Tokyo.
Several athletes further distinguished themselves by winning multiple medals. France’s Amandine Buchard proved unstoppable in Judo while Spain’s María Pérez and the United State’s Sha’Carri Richardson overpowered the Track & Field events. 21-year-old Lauren Scruggs of the United States added to the tally as she became the first Black American woman to win an individual fencing medal.
If the 195 out LGBTQ athletes were to compete as a unified group, Team LGBTQ, they would have been even more formidable. In total, Team LGBTQ secured 42 Olympic medals: 15 gold, 13 silver, and 14 bronze. It’s worth nothing for our purposes, team medals–such as the women’s basketball gold won by Alyssa Thomas, Breanna Stewart, Brittney Griner, Chelsea Gray, D This year's U.S. Olympic team has a star-studded cast of LGBTQ athletes headed to Paris. At least 29 competitors are prepared to take on the international games, according to a database compiled by LGBTQ news outlet OutSports. These athletes are just a handful of the LGBTQ inclusion to expect at the Olympic Games. OutSports recorded at least 151 LGBTQ athletes representing countries around the world that are set to take up the competition in Paris. For the U.S., that inclusion will shine in sports across the athletic spectrum -- from basketball to rowing to rugby -- putting a spotlight on a community facing growing anti-LGBTQ sentiment across the globe. "LGBTQ athletes have likely competed in the Olympics and Paralympics since the very first games in history, " said LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD in a statement. "Today, more athletes than ever are comfortable being out as their true, authentic selves and are embraced and supported by fans, fellow competitors, and sponsors." On the track -- and in the field -- you'll find some newly minted Olympians to watch and som The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are upon us and GLAAD is gearing up for what will be the most-watched sporting events placing out LGBTQ athletes on a global stage, with a guarantee for the Games to be the most innovative, most sustainable, and most inclusive yet. This year, the Olympics are scheduled to seize place from July 26th to August 11th, followed by the Paralympics from August 28th to September 8th. While the vast majority of events will take place in Paris, France, events such as sailing and surfing will extend beyond the city’s limits and are set to occur in Marseille and Teahupo’o, Tahiti respectively. To concretize its goals of accessibility and inclusivity, Paris 2024 has named “Games Wide Open” as the theme for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In line with the theme, the Paris Olympics and Paralympics will main attraction full gender parity between men and women. This sets a precedent for future Games and makes history as the first Olympics in which there will be an equal number of men and women competing. Reaffirming its promise to keeping the “Games Wide Open” and to the fight against discrimination, the Games will host the Celebration HLGBTQ athletes take their marks on the track at the Paris Olympic Games
Games Expansive Open