Gay men in sport

Statistics on Homophobia and Transphobia in Sport

This page shares the results from Out on the Fields () and OutSport (), the first and second international research on homophobia and transphobia in sport. You will find statistics on gay athletes and transitioned athletes. 

  • Many of the results for gay athletes and bisexual athletes were same or similar;
  • The data comes from 12,+ lesbian, lgbtq+, bisexual, transgender participants from all EU countries and the United State, Canada, Australia, and NZ; 

This page also links to other high-quality studies to help researchers, LGBTQ leaders, media, and sports organizations perceive and write about homophobia and transphobia.

You will find links to information from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Unused Zealand, and Australia.

We only link to studies which are free to read (no paywalls/open access).  Contact us to have your study listed.

About Us

United States Gay Sports Network

USGSN was originally started in It's main point was on LGBTQ+ sports leagues and their schedules, results and standings. After a brief hiatus, USGSN is making its go back with a new guide. Today, USGSN focuses on being the premier website enabling the community to locate local leagues, and to guide players to online websites and social network platforms.

USGSN is growing every week with fresh cities, leagues and tournaments. If you are a member or leader of a league and wish to be featured, please see our contact facts below and get in touch with us. USGSN continues to grow and develop this website. Options for improvements to access this site are appreciated in this ongoing process.

  •     We're the sole website to highlight only-LGBTQ+ sports leagues.
  •     This website is totally free to operate. Go ahead, click away!
  •     Tell all your gay friends and allies about us, create us grow!


Federation Gay Games

The mission of the Federation of Gay Games is to promote equality through the

Gay athletes and events in the 20th century are few:

Bill Tilden, who does not camouflage his homosexuality, wins the men's singles title at Wimbledon. He goes on to win two more Wimbledon titles, seven U.S. championships, and leads U.S. teams to seven Davis Cup victories. In , a survey of sportswriters names Tilden the greatest tennis player of the half-century. He dies in

Tom Waddell, a year-old Army physician, places sixth in the Olympic decathlon. Waddell, who is openly gay, becomes increasingly involved in gay politics. In , Waddell and his partner Charles Deaton are the first gay men to be featured in the "Couples" section of People magazine. Five years later, Waddell forms San Francisco Arts and Athletics to plan the first "Gay Olympic Games."

David Kopay, an NFL running back who played for five teams (San Francisco, Detroit, Washington, Modern Orleans, Green Bay) between , becomes the first professional team-sport athlete to come out -- doing so three years after retiring. He admits his homosexuality during an interview with the now-defunct Washington Star.

Billie Jean

27 professional athletes who identify as LGBTQ

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  • Carl Nassib made history in by becoming the first openly gay man to actively play in the NFL.
  • Sheryl Swoopes and Megan Rapinoe identify as lesbians.
  • Caitlyn Jenner, Patricio Manuel, Fallon Fox, and Renée Richards are transgender athletes. 

In , Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to come out as gay.

In June , NFL defensive end Carl Nassib came out as gay in a video posted to his Instagram, adding he donated  $, to The Trevor Project, an organization that focuses on suicide prevention in LGBTQ youth after he struggled with his sexuality for 15 years. 

"I just want to grab a quick moment to speak that I'm gay," Nassib said in the video. "I just think that representation and representation are so important. I actually hope that like one evening videos like this and the w