Ah, Paris, hosting its biggest event ever, with an estimated 10,500 athletes competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics. The official motto for this year’s competition was announced by the President of Paris 2024 Tony Estanguet as “Games Wide Open.” In his official and bold statement, he declares that the motto is “power, the power to open our hearts and minds, to stop seeing differences as obstacles. The power to write the greatest collective story of a whole generation, through everyone’s contribution, by giving room for everyone.” The Paris Olympics marks a milestone for our community and beyond. This is the first competition where there will be an equal split between men and women at 50/50, competing in 32 sports over 339 events. This will also be the first Olympics in which we have the most openly LGBTQ athletes participating. The lead into Pride season was full of athletes coming out, almost every week, as they announced their participation in this summer’s Games. Fitting, considering the official motto.

Even before the Games begin, our queer community will be represented at the opening ceremonies. Queer identifying ceremony director Thomas Jolly will be at the helm for both the opening and closing festivities. He is a leading art director in France, and he sat down with Vogue for an exclusive and shared that his mission with the ceremonies is to make “everyone to feel represented.” He has talked about his journey as a queer man, having been bullied as a kid who found his safe space in the theatrical world. He got the job by submitting a proposal of how he would direct the ceremonies to a French newspaper. Soon after, he was contacted by the Olympics executive director and Paris’ mayor and now he is commissioned to add his queer sensibility and vision to this year’s Games.

From the USA

Nico Young

21-year-old Nico Young will make US and queer history as the first out gay male US track and field Olympian. In 2021, he came out to his team, and his close friends and family. A year later, he made his sexuality public by coming out in an Instagram post. In his post, he declared, “Anyone who tells you that being gay is a choice is wrong. I am living proof that it is not a choice; it is something I have always known and been aware of, but have kept silent out of fear of rejection. I have struggled to accept myself, but I am becoming more proud and happy with who I am. I have realized that the only reason I never liked this part of who I am was because of what society has told me, not because of how I actually feel.”

This Southern California native became a runner for Northern Arizona University and his career has been on the rise becoming an NCAA Record Holder and NCAA Champion. He qualified for the Olympic team after coming in third in the men’s 10,000 meters at the track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon. In a chat with Runner’s World, he talked about the number of LGBTQ youth who have reached out, thanking him for coming out. He hopes his coming out will inspire others in the sports world and for queer youth in sports to live their truth.

Nikki Hiltz

Nonbinary and trans runner Nikki Hiltz is the reigning 1500-meter national champion and will compete in the Summer Olympics after qualifying at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials. They hold the record as the second-fastest 1500 by a US athlete ever and as the fifth-fastest in the world for 2024. They also hold the record for the 2023 national championship in Olympic Trials as well as winning four USATF national titles and taking home the silver medal at the World Athletics Indoor World Championships in the 1500 this year.

They had previously thought they would have to wait until retirement to come out, due to the division of the queer community and the running world. After seeing four runners come out during 2020’s Virtual Pride 5K benefiting the Trevor Project, they decided it was time to live their truth. Their coming out is particularly prudent considering the number of anti-trans bills that have been introduced this year. They hold the mantra that keeps them on the winning streak, “If you win, you will be seen. The camera follows the athlete in the lead, the interview goes to the athlete who wins.” Visibility for the trans community is crucial this year.

Lauren Scruggs

Lauren Scruggs is the first Black, openly lesbian athlete to compete in fencing at this year’s Olympics. She has been fencing since she was six years old, being inspired by her older brother’s fencing, and this will be her first Games. She currently fences for Harvard University, helping bring the Ivy League school to the NCAA Championship, after the school’s 20-year absence. She won the 2023 NCAA women’s championship in foil and NCAA runner-up this year.

She has been open about her three-year relationship on social media and credits her girlfriend for being part of her Olympic journey. She will compete as an individual and for Team USA in fencing.

Raven Saunders

Competing in the shot put this year for the US team, Raven Saunders will be taking part in their third Olympics, winning the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, and having participated in the Rio Olympics. Their opening throw at this year’s Trials reached 65 feet 2 ¾ inches. She caused a sensation when receiving their silver medal in Tokyo, they crossed their arms above their head in an “X” to represent that intersection of all people. It was considered a form of protest, and they were investigated by the International Olympic Committee. The investigation was later dropped.

They came out to their mother when they were in third grade and were outed to other classmates in the sixth grade. Saunders states that it wasn’t until ninth grade that they felt truly out and proud. Sadly, their mother passed away shortly after the Tokyo Olympics. They are known for their big personality on the track and on social media, sporting bold looks while competing, and have talked about the support of their sponsors who appreciate their spirit and outspoken personality.

Haleigh Washington

Representing the bisexual community, Haleigh Washington will compete in her second Olympics in volleyball, winning the gold medal with the US Team at the Tokyo Olympics. The US Team won in all three games, winning the first-ever gold medal for US volleyball. Haleigh came out as bi in a Tweet and quickly followed up on Instagram as to why she came out, “I’m not trying to talk about my sexuality because I want to be brave or a trailblazer. I talk about my sexuality because I want to be myself. So, I guess today’s thought is just: if there are things that are holding you back from being your most authentic self, I hope you find a way to combat that, and to just be you, because you are perfect and beautiful exactly as you are, whatever that may be.”

The Black community has also lauded her presence at the Olympics as there is low visibility in the volleyball sports industry. Youth that continue on to professional football are seen to have a place on the court because of coming from middle to high-class families who can afford to go to schools where volleyball is of importance. The US volleyball team goes into the Paris Olympics ranking fifth in the world.

Sha’Carri Richardson

Also representing the bisexual community is sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson. Coming out in 2015 on Twitter, she has made a name for herself and has been honored in some pretty big ways. Last year she won gold medals at both the USA Track and Field Nationals and World Championships. USA Track and Field named her the 2023 Jackie Joyner-Kersee Female Athlete of the Year. Later that year, Dallas proclaimed November 10^th as Sha’Carri Richardson Day, and her high school christened a Sha’Carri Richardson track on the field. Of the high school honor, she told Fox News, “I see that little girl who stood right here at Kincade. I told my mama I want to be great. I told my godparents I want to be better. I told my family I want to take care of them, and being right here in the moment, able to look back and see that I’m able to do that and more, I don’t want to stop.”

She qualified for this year’s Games with a running time of 10.71 in the 100-meter, making her the fastest woman in the world this year. She has also become a social media star with over three million Instagram followers and stars like Cardi B showing their support. After qualifying for the Olympics, she stated “I’d say the message I’m sending out is to believe in yourself no matter what.”

Chelsea Gray

Chelsea Gray returns with the US Women’s Basketball team for the second time, after taking home the team’s gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. She was also a member of the 2022 USA Women’s National Team, capturing its 11th World Cup gold medal in Sydney. She currently plays for the Las Vegas Aces. Chelsea was named the 2022 WNBA Finals MVP.

Chelsea got married to a former college basketball player in 2019, after meeting her at a Long Beach State open gym. This last February, she and her wife welcomed their first baby.  She shares a lot from her personal and family life on her popular Instagram.

Trey Cunningham

US track athlete Trey Cunningham is among the most recent athletes to come out. Raised in a rural, conservative town in Alabama, Cunningham just didn’t see being gay as possible. He came out to his close family and friends five years ago and told The New York Times that he’s had to lead a double life and that there are other athletes who are struggling by staying in the closet. “There are lots of people who are in this weird space. They’re not out. But it is kind of understood.” A day after he came out, he won the 110-meter hurdle at the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix. He has also been named as the Amateur Athlete of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

He did not make the Olympics this time around but is ranked 11^th in the world. He also won the silver medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. He continues to compete internationally and his coming out puts him at a safety risk in countries where homosexuality is still illegal or unprotected.

Around the World

Tom Daley

Representing Great Britain, four-time Olympic medal winner Tom Daley will compete in his last Olympics, competing with sports partner Noah Willamson in synchronized diving. This will make him the first British diver to compete at five total Olympic Games. Daley started diving when he was 7 years old and started competing nationally and internationally by the age of nine. Participating in the 2008 Summer Olympics, he became Britain’s youngest athlete to compete, and the youngest from any nation to reach finals. He became the first diver from Great Britain to earn four Olympic medals at the Tokyo Games. If he wins this year, he will join fellow queer athlete Greg Louganis in a very small group of five-time medal winners.

Daley came out ten years ago on his popular YouTube channel in a video that has over 13 million views. After coming out, he became an avid LGBTQ activist and made headlines again when he married Hollywood mogul Dustin Lance Black. They have two sons together. Daley retired from competitive diving but has returned for this year’s Olympics so his oldest son can watch him in person at the Summer Games. This year he also released his first children’s book. “Jack Splash” is an adventure story about a not-so-successful diver trying to impress his father, who is also his coach. This will be a bittersweet end to his Olympic career as he has become a fan favorite.

Dan Jervis

British swimmer Dan Jervis came out in 2022, right before competing in his third Commonwealth Games. Previously he won the bronze in 2014 and the silver in 2018 in the 1500-meter freestyle. The timing of his coming out was intentional and he told the BBC, “Now is a good time for me because the Commonwealth Games is in a month’s time and there’s going to be a lot of people watching that and there’s so many countries in the Commonwealth where being gay is illegal. And for me to be [visible] on that stage and to inspire people is what I’m here to do.”

He has credited other out gay athletes for his motivation and almost considered retiring two years ago. He has been training harder than ever for this year’s Games and qualified in the 1500-meter with a time of 14:47.94. He did compete at the Tokyo Olympics but stated that his nerves got in the way.

Campbell Harrison

Climbing was first welcomed into the Olympics during the Tokyo Games. Climber Campbell Harrison will make sports and LGBTQ history as the first openly gay competitor at the Paris Games, representing Australia. He qualified by winning the boulder and lead events at the Oceania Olympics trials last November.

Having very limited queer representation growing up, he was afraid to come out due to feeling inferior. He came out to his parents and the world during Pride 2021, speaking at a ClimbingQ panel and addressing the need for inclusion and representation in the world of climbing. During his speech, he stated, “Queerness is not a deficit that I was unfortunate to be born with, it’s an asset that both sets me apart from the crowd and connects me to so many others. By embracing myself as both a gay man and an athlete I have the ability to assure young people, who may be feeling the apprehension that I did, that gay people are not only all around us, but we don’t have to hide who we are to get respect.” The media captured him kissing his boyfriend upon qualifying for the Paris Games.

Timo Cavelius

Also making sports and queer history, Timo Cavelius will become the first openly gay athlete to compete in judo at this year’s Games, representing Germany. He has been trying for years to make the team and in order to win the gold medal, will have to place 1^st in six matches.

Timo came out at the age of 15 but kept his relationship with his boyfriend a secret. He told Instagram, “I didn’t have the courage to say that he was my steady boyfriend. It was just exhausting always acting as if I had a girlfriend or was attracted to the opposite sex.” He credits his sports psychologist for the motivation to come out professionally. He often competes in countries where homosexuality is still a big no-no in the world of sports, especially considering the close contact between competitors.

Carl Hester

Carl Hester is a legend in the Olympics world. This 57-year-old Dressage competitor will be making his seventh Olympics appearance, representing Great Britain. His first Olympics were for the 1992 Games as the youngest British rider in history, making this summer a 32-year journey. He won the 1985 Young Dressage Ride Championship for Great Britain and made a name for himself by qualifying for the World Championships just five years later. He was Britain’s only out gay athlete when London hosted the Olympics in 2012. He was named a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire the next year.

He won a gold at the London Olympics and a silver in Rio and a bronze in Tokyo. He will be one of the oldest athletes competing this year, and there is a biopic about his life in development.

Hergie Bacyadan

Hergie will be representing the trans community by making his Olympic debut in boxing. Hergie will take part in the largest number of Filipino boxers to qualify for the Olympics in 28 years. In 2023, he won the 2023 World Championship in the Vietnamese martial art of vovinam. He will compete in the women’s division because he has not undergone hormone replacement therapy.

He has faced discrimination and the Russian vovinam team wanted this gold medal for the World Championship taken away. He and his wife have been staunch activists in the Philippines and have been witness to the nation’s protections for the queer and trans community. If he earns a medal, he will be the first trans athlete to place at the Olympics.

Jack Woolley

Representing Ireland, Jack Woolley makes his return to the Olympics after the Tokyo Games, a first for his nation. This taekwondo athlete was a winner at the European Taekwondo Olympic Qualification tournament in Bulgaria in March. He previously won silver medals at the 2022 European Championships and the 2023 European Games.

He came out as bisexual in a documentary in 2020, and later regretted it, telling Ireland’s Extra, “I just wish I never labeled it. I still don’t like labeling it. People are just hell-bent on giving everyone labels nowadays.” His entire family was not aware of his sexuality, and he states that the documentary just made it an uncomfortable situation. After coming out, he claimed that some athletes refused to shake his hand. He has since become more comfortable with being out and met his boyfriend shortly after the Tokyo Games. He has since added hashtags regarding his sexuality and pictures of his boyfriend on his social media. His boyfriend will join his family at the Paris Games.

Tyler Wright

Tyler Wright will be representing Australia in the surfing competition this year. She won the World Surf League Women’s World Champion in 2016 and 2017. She came out as bisexual in 2020 in an interview on a popular Australian series. Her coming out came on the heels of spending 14 months in bed with a debilitating case of influenza and chronic fatigue syndrome. She told USA Today, “I was away from the tour, from surfing, for almost two years. It was a really hard time, and I had a lot of things stripped away from me. I had to sit with who I was and then think about the person I was presenting to the world. I felt like there was a bit of a disconnection between that.”

She further displayed her queerness by donning the Progress Pride flag at the 2020 Maui Pro tournament. She met the woman of her dreams in 2021 and the two are married.  Part of a surfer family, her brother won a bronze medal during the Tokyo Games. She has a strong chance of placing this summer, and her competition will take place in Tahiti rather than Paris. She has spoken openly about the lack of queer representation in the surfer genre as well as the disparity between female and male professional surfers.

Nick Albiero

Swimmer Nick Albiero will be representing Brazil for his Olympics debut this summer. Albiero won the gold in the 200-meter butterfly at the Brazil swimming championships and became the third-fastest Brazilian time in the event’s history. Nick is US-born and has dual citizenship in Brazil. He came out on Instagram in 2020 after attending a Pride event with his sister. After being bullied when he was young, he was afraid to come out due to the locker room environment. He says the feedback to his coming out has all been positive.

He specialized in the butterfly for the University of Louisville and has won two national championships. He has achieved a five-time conference champion in one event — the 200-yard butterfly in the ACC, a rarity. He also set the record as the second-fastest 200-yard butterfly time in history, globally.

To show how much queer representation has grown in the Olympic Games, 35 openly LGBTQ athletes competed in the 2002 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. That increased to 222 out athletes who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Games. The Paris Games will see even more. Athlete Ally, GLAAD, and Pride House Paris have joined forces to ensure that inclusive, fair, and accurate coverage of LGBTQ athletes and topics will be in place. They also report that 68% of Americans believe that all athletes, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be able to compete. Also, 58% of the US believe that queer athletes are a good representation of the nation, and that inclusion builds better understanding and awareness.

With all of the social and political turmoil happening around the globe, the Paris Olympics might just be the band-aid the world needs. Watch and enjoy!

Next Stop: Barcelona