Although the figure is by no means definitive as there are likely more Paralympians who are not yet out to the public, there are at least a dozen sports and eight countries represented by LGBTQ+ athletes this year.
In Rio’s 2016 Paralympic Games, there were 12 athletes competing – making this figure a new record when it comes to representation.
It comes after a record-setting Tokyo Summer Games, which saw at least 185 LGBTQ+ Olympians compete (triple the number of those at Rio).
In a statement, Lauren Appelbaum of RespectAbility, a nonprofit that works to change how society views people with disabilities, said: “We hope that even more out athletes participate in the future, as it is critical for all disabled people to have positive role