Out magazine’s annual Out 100 showcases LGBT people who have made each year a time to remember. Every year they include a couple of athletes, this year including six LGBT people in sports:

  • Professional skateboarder Brian Anderson
  • UFC champion Amanda Nunes
  • Triathlete and duathlete Chris Mosier
  • Olympic swimmer Amini Fonua
  • Olympic racewalker Tom Bosworth
  • Professional rugby player Sam Stanley

Also included were Magic Johnson’s son, EJ Johnson, and celebrity fitness entrepreneur Jillian Michaels.

A couple of these athletes in particular have taken on the fight for LGBT equality in sports. Fonua swims for Tonga and competed at the Rio Olympics this summer. When news broke that The Daily Beast and writer Nico Hines had outed gay Olympians, Fonua took to social media and became an important voice on the ground in Rio speaking out against the Web site’s blunder. Fonua continues to work behind-the-scenes to improve the atmosphere for LGBT athletes.

Triathlete Chris Mosier has turned transgender policies upside down on the national and international sports stages. When he qualified for the World Duathlon Championships last year, International Olympic Committee policy at the time essentially prevented him from competing. His qualification pushed the IOC to change course and open their policy to a broader group of people.

All of the athletes are incredibly deserving for their courage and work to improve the atmosphere in sports and around the world for LGBT people.

And thank you Aaron Hicklin and your editorial team at Out magazine for including a number of LGBT people in sports!

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