At least 144 LGBTQ athletes to compete in Paris Olympics

[Lori Dee]

At least 144 LGBTQ athletes to compete in Paris Olympics
Link to Full Article
NBC News - Isabel Yip
July 19, 2024, 12:20 PM MDT

At least 144 out LGBTQ athletes will be heading to Paris for the 2024 Summer Games, with a record number of out male Olympians participating, according to the LGBTQ sports site OutSports.

In the last Summer Olympics, held in Tokyo in 2021, there were at least 186 out competitors, but the list originally started at 121, according to OutSports co-founder Cyd Zeigler, who said the number increased as the sports news site became aware of additional publicly out athletes.

Zeigler said he anticipates that the number of out athletes on the 2024 list will grow as well.

"We've already, in the last 24 hours, heard of about a half dozen out athletes that we did not know of," he said. He added that the new additions include more male athletes and will be added to Outsports' tally next week.

This year, at least 18 male athletes participating in the summer Olympics are publicly out. Zeigler said equestrian, an Olympic sport with eight LGBTQ men participating, has "long been a leader in this space of out men."

The vast majority of athletes on the list of queer Olympians, more than 120, are women.

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[Sephirah]

I mean that's always a good thing. That people can feel comfortable about themselves. But I don't see why, unless something very specifically affects your physical capability in your chosen field, being out as gay even matters in this context.

I don't see why it should be commented on any more than being straight. Maybe I'm missing something but what someone does in the bedroom makes no difference to me one way or the other. I literally don't care. Being gay or straight doesn't make you any more or less capable in what you've trained for probably years to compete at.

I really don't see why this needs to be known.

There is probably more of a stigma for men, though. I guess because of how competitive sports are in general. But again... I really don't see how this matters. If it doesn't affect your ability to do what you do, why does anyone need to know about your sexuality? The trans thing... yeah, that's a big deal right now. And a very complicated issue, but being gay or straight... it literally doesn't matter in this cauldron.

I am glad people feel comfortable being out and proud. Living their best lives. But as far as Olympic sports are concerned, who you are attracted to means very little in the grand scheme of things. And it feels kind of weird to me that this is a statistic that needs to be a thing.

[Lori Dee]

I totally agree. I have always said that what goes on behind closed doors should remain behind closed doors.

I think that much of this attention is due to political posturing during an election year. The media loves a frenzy and will jump on any topic that creates a fervor. That only helps to spread the propaganda. I watched the Republican Convention and I am amazed at how much hatred and lies are being spewed by elected officials targeting a group of people that are less than 1% of the population. It is either just trying to drum up support from fanatic followers or they are genuinely frightened of a tiny minority. I doubt they fear us.

I will be glad when the elections are over. I might need to go get a passport (never had one) in case I need to head north to Canada and leave this insanity behind.

[Sephirah]

I will be glad when the elections are over. I might need to go get a passport (never had one) in case I need to head north to Canada and leave this insanity behind.

Head on over to the UK, Lori. We have a lot of ancient rock places for you to dig around in! <3 That and I will treat you to a cream tea, lol.

[SoupSarah]

The story here is that 143 LGB athletes are competing in the olympics in Paris, and only one non-binary individual, who AFAB is competing in the female 1500m - So 1.. out of more than 10,000.
 
It is a disgrace to be fair - a fair representation would be at least 100 trans athletes. It is laughable that this 144 number is being reported as a good thing.

[Lori Dee]

The story here is that 143 LGB athletes are competing in the olympics in Paris, and only one non-binary individual, who AFAB is competing in the female 1500m - So 1.. out of more than 10,000.
 
It is a disgrace to be fair - a fair representation would be at least 100 trans athletes. It is laughable that this 144 number is being reported as a good thing.

I think the problem is finding 100 trans athletes. I am sure they exist, but as BlueJaye pointed out in her post, there is tremendous discrimination at lower levels of competition. Athletes cannot advance to the Olympics if they can't even compete at State or even Regional levels due to discriminatory policies.

I think saying 144 is a good thing is because it is better than zero, but I agree those numbers should be much higher.

[Sephirah]

The story here is that 143 LGB athletes are competing in the olympics in Paris, and only one non-binary individual, who AFAB is competing in the female 1500m - So 1.. out of more than 10,000.
 
It is a disgrace to be fair - a fair representation would be at least 100 trans athletes. It is laughable that this 144 number is being reported as a good thing.

Any number >0 is a good thing.

Representation isn't based on identity. It's based on skill, or proficiency. That's not how sport works, Sarah. There are probably thousands of people who didn't get to to go to the Olypmics. Trans or not. You can't just say you have to be fair by ticking boxes to give people a free pass just based on who they are. That's wrong. When it comes to sport... if you are good enough, you're good enough. You can't say "I deserve to be there because I represent a minority." Every country is after medals.

You have to be legit good at what you do. Not just non-binary.

[SoupSarah]

on most research, 2% of the population identify as trans*.. out of 10,000 people you would expect 200 of them to be trans* identified..

It is not about 'ticking boxes'..(seriously??)  it is about actual exclusion of talented people because of the gender they identify with..

You have seriously mis-read the sentiment and that injustice that is present by the figures that are being given and heralded as a good thing. This is discrimination at the highest level and it should not be tollerated.. It certainly should not be defended..