LGBTQ Athletes Show Up AND Show Out at Olympics
LGBTQ athletes aren’t just expanding representation at the Tokyo Games this year—they’re taking medals home, and lots of them! In just the first week of the 2021 Olympics, 11 queer competitors have made the podium, and there will without a doubt be more to add to that tally as the Games continue.
Tom Daley clinched the first gold medal for gay athletes this year in diving alongside his sport partner Matty Lee. “I hope that any young, LGBT person out there can see that no matter how alone you feel right now you are not alone,” he says in a press conference following the win. But what really stole peoples’ hearts was a touching video Daley posted to Instagram later that day. The second image on the post included a home video showing Daley’s son and husband watching him win gold, with their son proudly saying, “that’s MY papa!”
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Fellow queer Team USA athlete Stefanie Dolson will also bring home a gold medal after her win in the Women’s Basketball 3×3. “I woke up this morning and looked over to the table and saw my gold medal, and I just smiled,” Dolson, writes in a diary for the Associated Press. “It actually hurts my neck to wear it, but that said, I definitely will be wearing it all day today.” As she rightfully should! Dolson is not just an Olympic medalist, but also a pioneer for her sport, which made its debut in Tokyo this year.
Six LGBTQ athletes will also be repping some flashy silver when they return home after the Games. American softball players Ally Carda, Amanda Chidester, and Haylie McCleney, as well as swimmer Erica Sullivan have added to the U.S. medal tally, while French judoist Amandine Buchard and Polish rower Katarzyna Zillmann made their country’s proud.
When Zillmann entered the Olympic arena, few people knew about her identity, but in her victory press conference, she excitedly grabbed the mic to thank her girlfriend. When press reacted with shock, she shrugged and told them, “The conversations with you after the medal race were not groundbreaking for me. I’ve already talked about it in interviews before, but for some reason, it wasn’t published.”
Queer bronze medalists include Canadian softball players Larissa Franklin and Joey Lye, as well as British equestrian Carl Hester, who is competing in team dressage.
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