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This college hockey player came out publicly, in response to NHL players refusing to wear Pride jerseys
Carson Gates says he came out to show that queer people belong in hockey.
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From ‘American Idol’ to pro pickleball: A gay athlete’s journey
Zack Taylor is climbing the ranks of the pro pickleball circuit thanks to confidence he gained auditioning for ‘American Idol.’
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This gay college volleyball star has found love and happiness at Louisville
Aiko Jones thought she would never be able to come out. She’s glad to say she was wrong.
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Tell your coming out story on Outsports
You can change the lives of LGBT athletes simply by telling your story. If you're an LGBT athlete, coach or sports administrator, and you're ready to share, we'd love for you to tell your story on Outsports.
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New Zealand soccer goalie shares heartfelt coming-out post after team’s first-ever Pride round
Brianna Edwards celebrated Pride with a personal post on living authentically in women’s soccer.
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Gay volleyball player, coach finds confidence in himself and renewed love of the sport
‘Being my authentic self with my team and coaches helped me become the person I am today,’ Dustin Stueck writes.
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Coming Out Stories
Outsports' list of coming out stories from LGBT people in sports.
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Coming out and finding love rekindled athlete’s passion for running
Closeted and scared, Kenzi Hayden quit running. Now out, she is reclaiming a sport she has long loved.
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When this trans hockey player returned to the ice, she was embraced by her former college teammates
Charlotte Jobe was nervous the first time she played after coming out, but it turned out her fears were baseless.
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For gay Ohio State swimmer, pool became his safe space
After Nathan Holty started coming out to teammates in high school and college, he saw his confidence soar and his performances improve.
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Baseball played vital role for gay jock turned doc in his coming out
Before becoming a successful doctor on a TV show, Brad Schaeffer played baseball as he struggled with discovering his true self.
AAGBPL pitcher Maybelle Blair reflects on coming out publicly at age 95
In addition advising the ‘A League of Their Own’ TV series, Blair recounts how the AAGBPL was the first place many gay and lesbian players were able to meet others like them.
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How gay beach volleyball player uses TikTok to build a community
Charlie Siragusa has found social media vital to building his brand but more importantly to find a community with other queer people from different walks of life.
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Gay rugby player in Texas shares his Pride video to inspire others to love themselves
Knute O’Donnell discovered a simple message in his coming out journey: Love yourself. It’s what spurred him to do a Pride video.
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Longtime soccer coach and executive finds liberation in coming out as gay
After widespread support from the soccer community, John Dorn wonders, ‘Why did it take me so long?’
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Coming out as gay gave high school swimmer courage to be outspoken about queer rights
Ethan Crawford was nervous about coming out as gay, but ‘all of the guys on my swim team were accepting and supportive, which was shocking.’
This trans woman celebrates her name 3 years later
Karleigh Webb looks back on claiming her name and finding her voice, and how others have done the same in sports.
Gay racer, kart track owner strives to make racing accessible to all
Brandon Adkins used to hide his sexuality but now out and proud, he wants to give ‘everyone a chance in a sport that’s historically been tailored to straight, white men.’
Coming out from behind the camera, now working UNC-Kansas
Sports cameraman Scott Winer has worked the biggest sports in America. It was his shot of the Arkansas State fake punt that went viral. He opens up about being gay, his dream job in the pros and years of dealing with sexual assault.
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For college rowing captain, coming out as gay showed power of authenticity
Gus Hirschfeld takes the lessons he learned as an athlete at Brown to his new job as a special education teacher.
Out basketball player Courtney Thrun thrives in Brandeis’s culture of acceptance
After feeling repressed in her hometown, Thrun finds the open environment she’d been looking for under out head coach Carol Simon.
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College runner: ‘I want people to know that I’m gay and I’m fast’
For Rachel Hirschkind, helping her team place at cross-country nationals was made sweeter by being out as a queer athlete.
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Gay, Black gymnast finds he can be himself at West Point
‘Since I have been out, not a single individual has treated me differently since before I was in the closet,’ Brandon Rhode writes. ‘It’s interesting how curious they are about the queer experience.’
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After coming out as gay, accomplished snowboarder rekindles his love of the sport
‘After shedding unhealthy coping habits my closeted self had developed, I fell back in love with snowboarding ... and to the purest form of happiness I know,’ Jack Hessler writes.
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Being gay made soccer player and sprinter train to be best athlete possible
‘Gay athletes feel more pressure to work hard and prove we belong in traditionally heteronormative, masculine spaces. I know I did,’ Mike Welch writes.
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Gay, Black track athlete had character and resolve tested at University of Washington
‘I think the biggest lesson I learned as a queer athlete was to never be ashamed of who you are and where you come from,’ Devan Kirk writes.
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Anaheim Ducks organist comes out as trans and bi on National Coming Out Day
‘I am literally more comfortable in my skin, Lindsay Imber — an organist, basketball referee and baseball rules analyst — writes about her transition.
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Queer, nonbinary gymnast finds a connection and acceptance at Arizona State
‘When I came to Arizona State, I began to discover a newfound connection with my queer self,’ says gymnast Jackson Harrison.
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For gay Olympic gymnast Dominic Clarke, coming out allowed him to shine in Tokyo
Dominic Clarke had a ‘gay old time’ being himself at the Olympics once he embraced who he was.
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For champion skater Christopher Caluza, coming out as gay was a worthwhile journey
Christopher Caluza struggled for years with his sexuality but slowly he realized that embracing who he was made him a better skater and person.
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Gay college player says lacrosse needs to normalize coming out
‘Let’s start talking about identifying as LGBTQ+ as a routine part of the lacrosse world,’ Sarah Cahn writes, "so we reduce the isolation for future generations of athletes."
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High school football player wins most inspirational award. He’s now out and proud.
Marc Small was cut from the theater club so he decided to play football. It gave him ‘the confidence to finally sit down and reflect with myself and come to terms with who I was.’
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For gay triathlete, finishing the IRONMAN fulfills a dream
When an exhausted Michael Lalli crossed the finish line in Hawaii, the triathlete felt a major sense of accomplishment and a realization of where his coming out journey led him.
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For gay Duke diver, inclusion on his team wasn’t an empty phrase
"Seeing for the first time in my life successful queer individuals being not just tolerated, but celebrated by those around them, was life changing," says Duke diver Nathaniel Hernandez.
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Tennis player and now coach blossomed after coming out as gay
‘Being out ... has allowed me to truly find a community within the game of tennis,’ Scott Strough says.
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Gay college athlete was hesitant, but attending a Catholic school was a winning decision
Any reservations Anh Nguyen had attending a Catholic university as an openly gay athlete were quickly dispelled.
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Young soccer referee has thrived all the while being openly gay
‘Sports have always given me the chance to express myself and be passionate without the fear of what others will think of me,’ Alec Pena says.
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NCAA tournament run was extra sweet for out gay volleyball coach
‘The impact of coming out in college athletics has made my job and career so much more enjoyable,’ Keith Anderson says.
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For college swimming coach, being gay no longer a big thing and that’s why it’s a great thing
Matthew Kinney persevered through some dark times as he was coming out, but that is all well behind him now.