Olympic champion says it’s easier to be gay in her sport than be a woman

Olympic boxer Nicola Adams knows something about being gay and being a woman in the Olympic sport of boxing.

The Olympic gold medalist represented Great Britain in two Olympics, becoming the first woman to achieve the top status in her sport at two different Summer Olympic Games.

In a recent interview with The I Paper, Adams put into context the discrimination she felt she faced in boxing as a gay person and a woman.

“Homophobia has never been a problem for me in boxing. It was always way more offensive to be a female than anything else,” she says. “I understand what it’s like to be discriminated against. Boxing is still very male-dominated and, in the beginning for me, I was one of very, very few women that actually did it. I know what it’s like to have to fight to find your place in sport.”

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Adams talked about this very topic — at least the struggles that women face in boxing — a couple years ago in an op-ed she wrote, also for The I Paper.

“I was knocked back so many times; I was told repeatedly that ‘women don’t belong in a boxing ring’ – and that was among the tamest of the comments.

“But it didn’t put me off. It made me more determined to prove the naysayers wrong.'”

Adams’ observations make sense. In the larger boxing world, women are the outsiders. They were only relatively recently allowed to compete at the Olympics and World Championships.

Within the women’s boxing world, athletes who are gay are not outliers. There is a healthy number of out gay and lesbian athletes at the highest level of the sport.

So it makes sense that Adams — in the world of women’s boxing with plenty of gay athletes — would perceive being gay as easier than being a woman, in the larger scope of the entire sport of boxing.

Adams is one of the great female boxers of all time. Her two Olympic gold medals and one World Championship set her apart from virtually everyone else in her category. She’s also got a bunch of other gold and silver medals from European Championships and other international competitions.

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