10 athletes who have earned our thanks… & thirst!
Australian gymnast Heath Thorpe is one of many out athletes whom we are thanking this holiday season.
There’s never been more LGBTQ+ visibility in sports. There are hundreds of out athletes competing in the Olympics and major pro sports leagues, showing gays belong on the field once and for all.
They share Olympic medals, MVPs and playoff wins. But most importantly, they also share inspiring stories.
Sports have historically been an exclusionary space for LGBTQ+ folx. It’s galvanizing to see out athletes at the top of their games.
As Megan Rapinoe once famously said: “You can’t win a championship without gays!”
With that in mind, we are thankful for a litany of LGBTQ+ athletes. But for the purposes of this article, we narrowed our list to 10.
Some of the athletes below double as political activists, while others always leave us parched. We are equally grateful for everybody’s contributions!
On this Thanksgiving, click ahead to see the 10 athletes who are receiving special shoutouts at our table…
Heath Thorpe
A Queerty fav, this Australian gymnast earned multiple honors on the mat this year, including the country’s All-Around Championship title. But yet he curiously wasn’t selected for the World Championships, prompting him to appeal his non-selection.
Though Thorpe’s appeal was denied, he wound up at the World Championships, anyway, working as a journalist. Currently, he’s competing in Belgium, with his eyes set on Paris 2024.
And OK, fine… he’s not bad to look at, either! Thorpe earns a perfect score.
Brittney Griner
Maybe the most decorated out athlete ever, Griner returned to the WNBA this season after spending 10 months in Russian captivity. She picked up right where she left off, averaging 17.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for the Phoenix Mercury.
Kennedy McDowell
The Colorado State defensive lineman is the only out gay male player in Division 1 college football, and at first, nobody noticed! Out since high school, McDowell talked about his sexuality in an interview with The Athletic.
We’ve been waiting for a time when gay athletes wouldn’t have to undergo a public coming out process. McDowell’s story shows we’ve arrived.
Nikki Hiltz
Hiltz keeps raking up wins. The out transgender and nonbinary track star won their first U.S. National Championship in July, and competed in the World Athletics Championship in August.
All the while, they continue to push for inclusion in running. Almost every major marathon now features a nonbinary division.
Luke Prokop
The 20-year-old defenseman recently became the first out gay player in the AHL, the highest level of minor league hockey. With two championship wins in two seasons, Prokop is seemingly on the verge of NHL history.
Devin Ibañez
As the first Major League Rugby player to publicly come out, Ibañez shows gay men are as tough as their hetero peers. He also shows what true love looks like. Him and his partner Wade have the most adorable Instagram!
Daria Kasatkina
(@kasatkina)The Russian tennis star is exiled from her home country, thanks to her refusal to keep quiet and toe the line. In addition to being publicly out, she’s also a vocal critic of Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine. Talk about bravery!
Kasatkina, pictured above with her girlfriend, competed in the U.S. Open this year.
Anthony Bowens
Bowens is the first out wrestler to win an AEW Championship, making him the most visible out gay competitor in pro wrestling. Last Pride season, fans showed Bowens support, showering him with an appropriate chant: “He’s gay!”
Megan Rapinoe
Consider this our lifetime achievement award. Pinoe retired from pro soccer this season, leaving behind an unparalleled legacy. An unabashed LGBTQ+ and equality activist, Rapinoe never backs down from fighting for our community. Fittingly, the gold medalist nearly won the championship in her final pro match, losing to fellow out LGBTQ+ sports icon, Ali Krieger.
Eric Radford
Our favorite Olympic zaddy may be retired from figure skating, but that just leaves him with more time to make us quiver! We are so thankful. 
Travis Dermott
As an honorable mention, we had to include ally Travis Dermott, who defied the NHL’s ban on Pride tape… prompting the league to nullify its misguided policy. That’s what it means to force change. Thank you!
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