5 gay pro athletes who broke ground by coming out while still playing
Outsports editor Cyd Zeigler. There have been out male players in the NFL and NBA playoffs, Major League Soccer (MLS) and in numerous Olympic sports, Zeigler notes, but no out male athletes have ever played in the Masters Tournament.Out pro-golfer Tadd Fujikawa told Zeigler he thinks that’s because other pro-golfers haven’t been more vocal about their support for the LGBTQ community.However, here are five groundbreaking male athletes who came out while actively playing in professional sports.
While each is extraordinary, they’re also among the few male players who have ever done so, proof that the pro-sports world still has a long way to go towards acceptance of queer men.“Big Bill” William Tilden dominated the international tennis world as an out gay man during the 1920s, becoming the first American to ever win Wimbledon.Known for his flamboyant and graceful style, he won 14 Major singles titles, 10 Grand Slam events, one World Hard Court Championships, three professional majors and seven U.S.
Championships titles during his career.He officially turned pro in 1930, but his fame was tarnished by two accusations of soliciting underage males.
Historians have questioned whether the charges were based on homophobic rumors and stereotypes that vilified gay men at the time.When Collins came out as gay in the May 6, 2013 issue of Sports Illustrated, he was the first active male athlete in any of the nation’s four major pro-sports leagues to do so.At the time, he was officially a center with the Washington Wizards, but he then signed a 10-day contract to play with the Brooklyn Nets.
