9 Athletes Who Came Out As LGBTQ+ in 2022 – Out Magazine

December 13, 2022 News Editor

For a variety of reasons, it can be extremely hard for professional athletes to come out as LGBTQ+ in their personal lives.

For one, sports are largely dominated by straight cis men who have been notoriously homophobic and transphobic according to numerous stories from LGBTQ+ athletes. The culture of so-called “locker room talk” has been riddled with hatred for queer and trans people – and it’s not a particularly well-kept secret.

Given that many sports teams and athletes make money from corporate sponsorships, it can be tricky for a person to come out at the risk of being dropped by an existing or potential sponsor. There are also reports of sports fans refusing to buy merch branded with the name of an LGBTQ+ athlete, which can potentially hurt merch sales for a team.

Trans people specifically are also facing a major obstacle as of late: being excluded from even being able to compete in leagues or championships due to their gender identity. Several sports have already pushed back against the notion that trans men can compete in men’s sports and that trans women can compete in women’s sports, which is heartbreaking.

But against all odds, our community is continuously making progress in the world of competitive sports, and we have a few out LGBTQ+ athletes to thank. Progress is being made every time an LGBTQ+ athlete chooses to come out and normalizes our existence/visibility in sports.

Scroll through to learn more about the athletes who have come out as LGBTQ+ in 2022.