10 out of 10,500 Olympians Prefer to be Openly Gay

Only 10 of the 10,500 athletes competing in the Beijing Olympics are openly gay, according to a study by a gay website.

Some gay athletes fear that coming out would bring disapproval from fans and team mates, others worry about the damage to endorsements, Outsports.com said.

Nine of the gay athletes named by Outsports were lesbians and their sports ranged from fencing to cycling. Just one, Australian diver Matthew Mitcham, was a man.

Perhaps he didn’t make it to the medal podium this year, and perhaps he didn’t mean to become a cover boy based on his sexuality alone, but each time an athlete of his stature comes out—whether it be Mitcham, Judith Arndt, Imke Duplitzer or Norwegian power couple Gro Hammerseng and Katja Nyberg—ironically, the less of a big deal it becomes. By capturing the spotlight, if even only for a few months, the world learns that LGBT athletes are competitive and even commonplace.

We still think Mitcham’s story, along with all the out athletes of the Beijing Games, is a victory for gay sports everywhere. And, at only 20 years old, there’s a good chance we could see Mitcham again in London in 2012!

Read the rest at montrealsimon.blogspot.com.