Английская Википедия:Homosexuality in sports in the United States

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Шаблон:Context The homosexual sports community in the United States, like the LGBT rights in the United States, enjoys one of the highest levels of acceptance and support in the world. A vibrant and rapidly growing community, it is enjoying an exponential growth. The public opinion and jurisprudence has changed significantly since the late 1980s; by the early 2020s, an overwhelming majority of Americans approved of the legality of same-sex marriages.

Researcher Eric Anderson found "more openly gay runners and swimmers than football and baseball players." He then hypothesized that this occurred because gay men likely abandoned the more macho sports in favor of sports that were more accepting of homosexuality. In 2006, a Sports Illustrated poll of roughly 1,400 professional athletes found that a majority would be willing to accept a gay teammate. Although an aggressive and often violent sport, professional ice hockey (NHL) athletes seemed to be the most accepting of such teammates as 80% of its players approved of having a gay teammate.

Individual sports

A member of the United States women's national soccer team, Megan Rapinoe, came out in 2012. Several other members and alumni of the team, including Adrianna Franch, Tierna Davidson, Abby Wambach, Sarah Huffman, Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger, are also openly homosexual. Harris and Krieger are a couple; Wambach and Huffman were once married but have since divorced.

In 2013, soccer's Robbie Rogers and basketball's Jason Collins publicly came out as gay. Several athletesШаблон:Who declared their support for both Rogers and Collins; also President Barack Obama contacted both athletes offering his support. Thierry Henry, at the time playing in Major League Soccer, was quoted in a column for New York Daily News as saying "he (Rogers) is a human being, first of all. And that’s good enough." Rogers then made his historic debut for the Los Angeles Galaxy in May 2013 and became the first openly gay male athlete to compete on a professional sporting team in North America. In basketball, Sheryl Swoopes came out in 2005, Brittney Griner came out in 2013, and Elena Delle Donne came out in 2016.

In 2014, Michael Sam, an openly gay college football player, was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 2014 NFL Draft, becoming both the first openly gay National Football League athlete and the first athlete in any sport to be drafted into a major league while already openly gay (rather than coming out after they were already playing in the league). In June 2021, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out as gay via Instagram.

In 2002, the National Gay Flag Football League was founded.

Golf

In 1996, Muffin Spencer-Devlin became the first LPGA player to come out as gay.

In 2018, Tadd Fujikawa came out as gay, becoming the first male professional golfer to do so.

Pool

In 1974, the LA Union Thursday Pool League was established as the first gay competitive pool league in the United States.Шаблон:Citation needed

Squash

In 2018, Todd Harrity came out as gay, thus becoming the first openly gay professional male squash player in the world. At the time he was ranked No. 1 in the United States out of all male squash players.

Tennis

American tennis player Billie Jean King acknowledged her relationship with Marilyn Barnett when it became public in a May 1981 palimony lawsuit filed by Barnett, making Billie Jean the first prominent female professional athlete in the world to come out.

Naturalized U.S. citizen Martina Navratilova was openly lesbian while still playing tennis, as was Billie Jean King, though previously married.

Wrestling

In 1982, the West Hollywood Wrestling Club was organized as the first gay competitive wrestling team in the United States.Шаблон:Citation needed

Team sports

Basketball

In 2002, Sue Wicks came out as gay, making her the first openly gay person playing in the WNBA.

In 2014, openly gay basketball player Jason Collins played for the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA, making him the first openly gay athlete to play in any of the four major North American professional sports leagues.

Flag football

In 2002, the National Gay Flag Football League was founded.

Football

Шаблон:See also In 1975, former football player David Kopay became the first professional athlete from a major team to come out.

Football player Alissa Wykes of the Philadelphia Liberty Belles became one of the first active American athletes to publicly come out as gay when she announced that she was a lesbian in an article in the December 2001/January 2002 edition of Sports Illustrated for Women.

In 2021, Carl Nassib came out as gay, making him the first openly gay player in the National Football League.

Hockey

In 1985, the Los Angeles Blades was organized as the first gay hockey team in the United States.

In 2021, Canadian Luke Prokop, who was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, became the first active player signed to a National Hockey League contract to come out as gay.

Rugby

In 1998, the Washington Renegades RFC was formed as the first gay rugby team in the United States.

Soccer

In 2013, Robbie Rogers became the first openly gay man to compete in a top North American professional sports league when he played his first match for the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer.

Many female professional soccer players have been openly gay while actively playing for American teams, such as superstars Joanna Lohman and Megan Rapinoe.

See also

• Homosexuality in modern sports
• Transgender people in sports
• List of LGBT sportspeople
• Training Rules, a documentary film