This men’s national volleyball team has four out and proud gay players
Olympic gold medalist Douglas Souza is one of four out gay players on the Brazil men’s national team for the Volleyball Nations League.
Mark
“Volleyball, representation, and respect go together here!”
That’s the caption on a viral Instagram photo of four smiling Brazilian volleyball stars, taken at the team’s training camp ahead of their forthcoming Volleyball Nations League (VNL) challenge.
There’s a rainbow emoji in there too, and all four men have collaborated on the post, shared by the popular “Na Nossa Rede” fan account, which covers the sport in Brazil in detail.
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The quartet are Douglas Pureza, Douglas Souza, Adriano Xavier and Maique Reis, who are on a 30-man roster for the first phase of the annual VNL tournament.
Douglas Souza is a huge star in Brazil and has more than 1.8 million followers on the social platform. He’s a two-time Olympian who was part of the gold-medal-winning squad at Rio 2016, and is making his national-team comeback this summer after five years away.
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While LGBTQ representation in men’s volleyball is growing fast, the rapid popularity of the image of the four teammates is significant.
It would be rare to find a squad in any major men’s team sport at the elite level that has so many out athletes. And for a men’s national team, such representation might be unprecedented.
Here’s more about the four players…
Douglas Pureza
Rio-born Douglas Pureza was named as the Superliga’s best libero in the 2023-24 season, when his club side Sesi-Bauru won the title.
He spoke to ESPN later that year about the challenges he had faced as a gay athlete. “I had to hide my sexual orientation, as best I could, to gain certain privileges. This hurt me a lot and leaves some scars now in adulthood,” he said.
The 29-year-old lives with his partner, Eduardo, and their cute dog, Barthô, and often shares images of their adventures together on Instagram.
Douglas Souza
After becoming an Olympic champion on home soil at Rio 2016, outside hitter Douglas Souza spoke publicly about being gay and embraced his status as one of the most prominent out players on the men’s side of the sport.
After Tokyo 2020, he took a break from the national team to focus on his mental health. Now aged 30, he is making his comeback, saying his sights are firmly set on competing at LA 2028.
In Brazil’s Superliga, he has won two domestic championships and other titles with Sada Cruzeiro since joining them in 2024. He will soon be moving to Renata Campinas, where he will replace Adriano Xavier.
Douglas has been with his partner, Gabi, for nine years. The couple got engaged in 2023 and are planning their wedding day, although they have had to postpone the date due to his increasingly busy schedule.
@douglasouzabr Nada resiste ao trabalho duro e à determinação. Sonhe, batalhe e realize! #Gratidão ♬ som original – Douglas Souza
Adriano Xavier
Since the disappointment of Paris 2024, where Brazil were knocked out in the quarterfinals, the talented Adriano has been making big strides in the sport.
The outside hitter has twice been a Superliga runner-up with Renata Campinas, and is about to take the next step in his career by moving to Italy to play for top-tier club Trentino.
Last year, he was an important part of the Brazil squad that won bronze in the Volleyball Nations League.
The 24-year-old is known for being shy and reserved about his personal life, but did share the Instagram photo to his story with two smiling face with hearts emojis, as well as collaborating on the post.
Maique Reis
Like Adriano, Maique Reis was part of the Brazil team that won VNL bronze in 2025, and he also recorded a major personal career milestone by being named the tournament’s Best Libero.
The 28-year-old, who plays club volleyball for Minas Tenis Clube in his home state, comes from a humble background.
As an out gay, Black athlete, he has used his platform to speak out against discrimination, telling ESPN last year: “I always felt that I had to work much harder than a straight person… or a white guy who would have the opportunities.”
Having missed out on Paris 2024, he is determined to get to LA 2028. “Individually speaking, I want to be the best libero in an Olympics. It would be a dream come true; I see that I work hard and have the potential to achieve this feat,” he told Hibrida.
Brazil is hosting one of the three pools in Week 1 of the VNL preliminary round. The team will start their bid for glory in Brasilia on June 10, before facing Belgium, Serbia and Argentina.
In Week 2, Brazil will head to Ljubljana, Slovenia for their next pool, followed by a trip to Chicago for Week 3. The final round is taking place in Ningbo, China, from July 29 to August 2.
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