2018 has been a whopping year for LGBT sports people. More and more stars feel comfortable to be their true selves in public.
Here are some of the sports stars who have come out in 2018.
Abrahm DeVine
Collin Martin
Twenty-three-year-old Collin Martin came out as gay, wrapped in a pride flag. Amen to that. He becomes the second Stateside pro footballer to do so. Robbie Rogers was the first in 2013. He made the announcement via Twitter, writing “I am announcing for the first time publicly that I am an openly gay player in Major League Soccer, June is Pride month, and I am proud to be playing for Pride, and to be playing as an out gay man.”
Hurley Haywood
US Racing Legend Hurley Haywood came out at the age of 69. He addressed his sexuality in his autobiography, Hurley! From The Beginning.
Jake Atlas
Pro Wrestler Jake Atlas came out in Feb 2018 saying, “I am proud to fulfil my promise of coming out publicly about my sexuality to be a voice for those that struggle with this issue like I have for many, many years.”
Karina Manta
US Ice Dancer Karina Manta comes out as bisexual. Karina is a professional skater and she shared the news (and her girlfiend) with the world in a video.
Mel Reid
Six-time Ladies European Tour winner and LPGA golfer Mel Reid has come out in an interview with Athlete Ally. She said, “I fell in love with a girl and I was excited about it, so I told my sister who was completely cool about it, and then my brother,”
“My parents are older than most, but they couldn’t have been better about everything.
“They just assured me that as long as I love a good person, it doesn’t matter what race, gender or background they come from. I was very lucky my entire family is very liberal and embraced it totally.”
Nir Rotenburg
Professional Wrestler Nir came out as gay in July. Speaking to WDG, Rotenberg, who boxes professionally as Rixon Ruas said, “I understood the extent of the responsibility and the influence that my actions have now that I am a champion, and I knew that it was time to come out of the closet in public.”
“If I had a gay role model as a young wrestler, the fears I’ve had in the past would have been avoided”.
Robert Páez
Venezuelan Olympic diver Robert Páez came out as gay in a column with Outsports. He competed in the London 2012 Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics. In the column he wrote, “Growing up in Venezuela, I knew from a very young age that I was different, despite not knowing what exactly that meant.
“It’s a difficult road, to know at a young age that we feel something that makes us believe we are not “right” in the eyes of society. Yet the truth is that if I was born that way, it was because God created me and he wanted it that way.
“When I finally came to believe that, that’s when I understood that I should accept with pride and courage…”
Tadd Fujikawa
US Open Golfer Tadd Fujikawa came out as gay in September 2018. Writing on World Suicide Prevention Day, Fujikawa said, “So…I’m gay. Many of you may have already known that.
“I don’t expect everyone to understand or accept me. But please be gracious enough to not push your beliefs on me or anyone in the LGBTQ community. My hope is this post will inspire each and every one of you to be more empathetic and loving towards one another.”
Todd Harrity
American squash player Todd Harrity revealed that he was gay in a heartfelt Twitter post in April. He said, “It has taken me a long time to accept myself as I am. But now I have, and am ready to put all of this behind me and move on with my life.”
Zack Leader
British Gravity Biker Zack Leader came out as gay in 2018. The biker who was 19 at the time came out in an emotional post on social media. He wrote,
“For about six months now, this is how I wanted to start the new year. A fresh start. No more hiding, no more lies,
“To some of you this won’t be news, but to a lot of you, I imagine it won’t have even crossed your mind. Some of you may have thought about it I imagine. What I’m trying to do is come out and say I’m gay.”
