We know, and it’s very sad, the world of sport (like many other spheres) is known for heavy homophobia and LGBT-phobia, and the subject of sexual identity is a real taboo. While in France the case of Gana Gueye, a PSG midfielder, refusing to wear a jersey in the colors of the LGBTQI+ community was widely debated, in England a 17-year-old boy named Jake Daniels (we still don’t know why his parents called him that, maybe they were drunk lol) came out, becoming the second active England player to do so, after Justin Fashanu in 1998. We tell you all in the dots to follow, and you will see that Jake Daniels is not the only one, fortunately.
1. Leinster Nick McCarthy, young Irish rugby player
So there it is fresh. Two days ago, Leinster Nick McCarthy came out publicly. He had already done so with his teammates in January, and worried about their reaction, he initially thought of stopping his sport. Finally his revelation was well accepted by his club and by his teammates (fortunately) who think that the young man can free speech on this subject and pave the way for others.
2. Maybelle Blair, baseball player came out (late)
Better late than never. Maybelle Blair, a former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, came out two days ago at the age of 95. The one who inspired the new Amazon Prime series, A League of Their Own, spoke about his homosexuality, after having hidden it from the public all his life. She explains that being homosexual in the 1940s was particularly taboo, much more so than today (even if as we can see, in the world of sport, it’s not always that), and so she did the choosing not to say anything, for fear of the gaze of others and the world of professional sport. Today, it’s done, and even if it’s late, it must be a real relief.
3. Jake Daniels, the young Blackpool player came out a few weeks ago
Only a few days after the Gana Gueye controversy, Jake Daniels came out, becoming the second Premier League player to claim his homosexuality after Justin Fashanu. A gesture which fortunately has been well received by the public, remains to be seen how it will evolve in the hyper hetero-normative world of professional football.
4. Justin Fashanu, Premier League player
Justin Fashanu was a Premier League player of the 90s, the very first English professional player to openly come out. Unfortunately this revelation was more than badly received, and the young player quickly suffered moral harassment from his teammates, supporters and even his own brother with rare violence, which led him to end his days in 1998. A horrible and revolting situation which proves the toxicity of the world of professional sport towards LGBTQI+. Justin Fashanu was until today the first player to claim his sexual orientation, his “sacrifice” will have made it possible to highlight a huge social problem and to gradually open the voice to other LGBTQI + people in professional sport. , especially English football.
5. Amélie Mauresmo, French tennis player
The famous French tennis player never wanted to hide her homosexuality for long. In 1999, when she was only 19, she took advantage of the Australian Open to reveal her sexual orientation to the general public. Obviously, she has to face after that, a huge wave of questions from journalists, and even more from the tabloids.
6. Greg Louganis, professional diver
In 1994, Greg Louganis, professional diver four times Olympic champion, took part in the Gay Games. A great way to come out, he also becomes one of the first athletes participating in the Olympic Games to openly assume his sexual orientation. A great step forward.
7. Gareth Thomas, Welsh rugby player
In the world of rugby, homosexuality is particularly taboo as homophobia is trivialized. This is why Gareth Thomas, an emblematic Welsh rugby player for the national team, waited years to speak out publicly. It was therefore in 2009, after more than 100 selections for the national team, that Gareth Thomas came out in the press.
8. Michael Sam, American Footballer
As in rugby, American football is plagued by homophobia, so Michael Sam was the first player to be selected by a professional team and to be openly gay. Unfortunately in 2015, he announced that he was putting his career on hold because he was worried about his mental health, surprisingly.
9. Swimmer Jeremy Stravius
Like many other athletes in his case, Jeremy Stravius took some time to come out, for fear that this announcement would change his relationship within the French swimming team. Today, Jérémy Stravius has been in a relationship for 8 years and lives very well. He had come out in a documentary, “Faut qu’on parle” in June 2021.
10. Jérémy Clamy-Edroux, French rugby player
Jérémy Clamy-Edroux takes things with a lot of self-mockery and second degree, and explained to laugh at the remarks of his teammates and his coaches when they declared before the matches “we are going to fuck these fags! “. Not great on a daily basis as a situation.
11. Orlando Cruz, Puerto Rican boxer
In 2012, Orlando Cruz became the first active professional boxer to come out publicly. A first for this sport marked by an exacerbated masculinity. A year after this announcement he shows himself married to José Manuel Colon, a film producer.
12. John Amaechi, NBA player
It was in his autobiography “Man in the middle” published in 2007 that John Amaechi came out, and at the same time became one of the first players in NBA history to come out publicly. In his book, John Amaechi explains the glaring homophobia that exists in the world of basketball, whether on the part of teammates, supporters or managers.
