LGBTQ stars lead Team USA to first wheelchair basketball world title in 16 years
At least a quarter of the USA squad that won the 2026 Women's Wheelchair Basketball World Championship are publicly out as LGBTQ.
Mark
The players and coaches with the U.S. women’s wheelchair basketball team are celebrating their first IWBF World Championships title success in 16 years.
In a tense final at TD Place Arena in Ottawa on Saturday night, the U.S. defeated host nation Canada 77-76. At least a quarter of the athletes on the Americans’ 12-player roster are LGBTQ.
For Kaitlyn Eaton, a key member of the squad who missed out on the last edition of the World Championships due to health issues, victory represented a huge moment in her career.
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She shared her excitement shortly after the game, writing on Instagram: “WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!! I am so proud of this team!!! Let’s freaking go!!!”
Eaton is an out and proud lesbian athlete who earlier this year celebrated a milestone in her personal life, posting on Instagram to mark six years with her girlfriend, Ally.
The U.S. squad also features Courtney Ryan and Josie Aslakson, who together coach the University of Arizona’s wheelchair basketball team and are in a relationship with each other.
They competed in college and became teammates on the U.S. national team in 2019.
Together, Eaton, Ryan, and Aslakson have been central to the team’s ongoing success, having previously won bronze at the Tokyo Paralympics five years ago, and then silver at the Paris Paralympics in 2024.
Impact of out LGBTQ athletes in USA Wheelchair Basketball
During Pride Month, Ryan and Aslakson reflected on their relationship and the impact of being out LGBTQ role models in elite sports.
“We’re so fortunate to be able to use this platform to share our story, in hopes that it connects with the younger generation and with anybody who may have struggled with identity… it gets better, it always does,” Ryan shared in a feature for Team USA.
With a 17-point haul, Ryan played a significant role in securing Saturday’s dramatic victory. She contributed nine assists and eight rebounds, and almost chalked up a triple-double.
With just 20.8 seconds left on the clock and the game tied, Ryan sank a crucial free throw to put the U.S. ahead 77-76.
Neither team scored in the final seconds, sealing the championship for the Americans and sparking emotional celebrations on the court.
The world title follows a successful run for Team USA, who earned a bronze medal at the previous World Championships in Dubai.
That journey was documented in Outsports’ Emmy Award-winning short series “Ballin’ Out.” The five-episode documentary, directed by Michiel Thomas, earned the Emmy for Outstanding Short Form Program in October 2025. It also received a GLAAD Media Award nomination earlier the same year.
This year’s World Championships tournament in Ottawa saw representation by publicly out LGBTQ athletes across three more nations.
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Canada’s silver-medal-winning squad featured stars Tara Llanes and Cindy Ouellet. Bronze-medal winner Bo Kramer led the Netherlands, while Great Britain brought a roster with four out players in Robyn Love, Laurie Williams, Jude Hamer, and Lucy Robinson.
With this being the USA’s third Women’s Wheelchair Basketball World Championships win in history, the team is set to head into the Los Angeles Paralympics on home soil in August 2028 as favorites, looking to recapture a Paralympic title they last claimed at Rio 2016.
Outsports will again celebrate “Team LGBTQ” at the Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles in 2028. Are you an LGBTQ person aiming for the Games who is interested in sharing your story to inspire others? Contact us here.
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