For a long time being gay in sports was like being gay in the military. The unspoken rule was “don’t ask, don’t tell”, and ideally, pretend like you’re not gay so as to not raise any suspicions.
Even the most confident gay athletes in the 1980s, 1990s, and even the early 2000s, felt unsafe to come out. They feared being alienated from teammates or being ostracized in the locker room. Thankfully, a few openly gay athletes eventually had the courage to crack open the “closet door.” [Read more…] about Openly Gay Athletes Who Broke the Silence in Sport