15 of June, 2022

Athletes who promote diversity and inclusion in sports

In celebration of Pride Month, ESPN named the top LGBTQ+ athletes who promote inclusion in sports.

International LGBTQ+ Pride Day is celebrated every year on June 28th, commemorating the Stonewall riots (New York, United States) in 1969, which marked the beginning of the gay liberation movement.

Over the years, great athletes have managed to position themselves in the world of sports through their great effort and have become a role model and inspiration for many people in the LGBTQ+ community:

Josh Cavallo: Through a video in October 2021, the renowned Australian footballer proudly declared himself gay, and many of his teammates and football fans showed him their support.

Cavallo has been one of the few well-known footballers toopenly declare himself gay, and he wishes that everyone could freely declare their feelings.

"I'm a footballer and I'm gay... I know there are other players who live in silence. I want to help change this, to showthat everyone is welcome in the game of football and deserves the right tobeauthentic," the Australian athlete stated.

Quinn: The Canadian soccer player rose to fame for being the first non-binary transgender person to win a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

She currently plays as a midfielder for OL Reign in the National Women's Soccer League in the United States.

"I want my story to be told because when we have a lot of trans visibility, that's when we start to make a movement and begin to make progress in society. There are transgender girls who are prohibited from playing sports, transgender women who face discrimination and prejudice as they try to pursue their Olympic dreams. The fight isn't over. I'm going to celebrate when everyone is here," she told the Seattle OL Reign's official website.

Lia Thomas: In 2022, the American swimmer became the first openly transgender athlete to win a national collegiate championship, and her biggest goal is to represent her country at the Paris Olympic Games.

Despite her great triumphs, Thomas has faced much criticism for her participation in the competitions, as people inside and outside the sport have judged her for being transgender and have even accused her of cheating in her category.

"What people don't understand is that we don't undergo the transition process to compete, we do it to be happy, authentic, to be ourselves. Having a competitive advantage is not something that affects our decision," said Thomas, who emphasized that trans women are not "a threat to women's sports."

"There are many factors that shape a career and what you do. The biggest change for me is that I'm happy, and in my sophomore years, when I had my best performances competing against men, I felt miserable," she added.

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