Team Regenbogen: These are the openly queer athletes in the Olympic Queer Society

Homosexuality and sports – for a long time it was a taboo story. This is still true in men’s professional football today, as the enthusiasm about rainbow colors became apparent in the European Football Championship. But a fundamental change is emerging for the Olympic Games.

Because there are more openly queuing athletes in Tokyo than ever before. In the American magazine “Outsports” there are about 160. This is more than all other Olympic Games in total.

Still more pressure on male athletes

In Rio 2016, it was less than 60, in 2012 it was a good 20 in London. Team Regenbogen is the winner of the games even before the first competition. Even the first female trans athlete in Olympic history is registered.

Finally – it seems – the development in society as a whole is being reflected in the Olympic Games. There are notable differences between the sexes: eight out of ten athletes listed in “outsports” are gay. The pressure on male athletes to keep their homosexuality a secret is clearly still high.

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Still, some queer Olympians are among the biggest stars in their home countries and sports.

Ikon Megan Rapinoe

The best example is American football player Megan Rapinoe, already an Olympic champion and two-time world champion, and the captain of her team. The 36-year-old is an icon due to his sporting success and his social and political commitment.

As the first white sports star, he took a knee on the field in 2016 to support the Black Lives Matter movement. She fights for equal pay for women and men in American football. His protest against Donald Trump at the 2019 World Cup, his cheering pose with arms for an anti-Trump meme became famous on social media.

Rapinoe made her homosexuality public in 2012 – and as aggressively campaigns for other issues, she campaigns for queer people. She wanted to cross boundaries, she said: “There are still too many clichés and stereotypes that restrict queer people.” If you follow Rapinoe’s work, you ask yourself whether men’s professional football is really that harsh on political issues. .

Rapinoe is not the only lesbian or bisexual woman on her team, as many lesbian women play in team sports at the Olympics, whether in hockey, volleyball, basketball or rugby.

These Are Some Openly Queer Athletes at Olympia (See Full List of “Outsports”) Here):

One star in basketball is Brittany Griner. With his dunking and blocks he is one of the most prolific players in the US professional league WNBA, winning the gold medal four years ago in Rio.

Early in his career at WBNA, Griner was open about his sexual identity. She has emphasized several times that she specifically wants to work with queer youth to strengthen them: “I am”. Outside And I’m okay with that — and I want young people to feel the same way.”

The fact that more athletes come out may also have something to do with social media. They address their fans directly on their channels and can tell their story unfiltered.

Tom Daly’s upcoming video gets nearly 13 million views

The upcoming video of British diver Tom Daly from 2013 has garnered nearly 13 million views on YouTube. Daly, although only 19 when he came out in public, had already participated in two Olympic Games and was well known in Great Britain as a footballer.

things to be done LGBTI is of course still a lot. When it comes to intersexuality, this was shown by the endless trials surrounding runner Kester Semenya, who didn’t compete on his parade route because he otherwise would have had to lower his testosterone levels.

and Germany? Sports shooter Joline Beer is carrying a rainbow flag. According to “Outsports”, he is the only openly gay or lesbian athlete known from the German team to date. “Wife Jessica, a daughter” is very gentle on her Female athlete profiles of the Olympic Games. She will start her first competition on Saturday. good luck for!