The Path They Built: Honoring the LGBTQ+ Athletes Who Made Visibility Possible
- Karinna Leonard
- 23 hours ago
- 9 min read
Pride Month gives us an opportunity not only to celebrate the LGBTQ+ athletes competing today, but also to recognize the pioneers who helped make that visibility possible.
Today's sports world is far from perfect, but it is undeniably more inclusive than it was decades ago. That progress was built on the courage of athletes who chose authenticity despite the risks, often becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ competitor in their sport, league, or on the global stage.
The history of LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports is not one story, but many. Every step forward began with someone willing to take the first one, whether that meant challenging stereotypes, breaking barriers, or simply refusing to hide who they were. From athletes who competed in silence to those who now compete openly on the world's biggest stages, each generation has expanded what is possible for the ones who follow.
In honor of Pride Month, this is the story of a few athletes whose courage helped reshape the sports landscape and paved the way for greater visibility, acceptance, and inclusion.
Billie Jean King
Long before conversations about LGBTQ+ inclusion became commonplace in sports, Billie Jean King was changing the landscape of athletics altogether.
Arguably the most important figure in women's sports history, King was a fierce advocate for gender equality and helped transform opportunities for female athletes as the founder of both the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and the Women's Sports Foundation. By 1981, she had already established herself as a tennis icon, winning 12 Grand Slam singles titles and becoming one of the most recognizable athletes in the world.
That same year, King was thrust into the spotlight for reasons unrelated to her accomplishments on the court. A palimony lawsuit filed by Marilyn Barnett, with whom King had been involved in a relationship for several years, effectively outed her at a time when LGBTQ+ acceptance was far more limited than it is today. Everyone in her life urged her to deny the allegations, but King ultimately chose another path. "I knew Marilyn thought I’d never come out," King later recalled. "But I thought about my own life. I thought about how my mom had taught me to be truthful. I thought, 'Well, who am I? I have to be me. Who is that?' That would be to tell the truth."
The decision came at a significant personal and professional cost, and in less than 24 hours, King lost all of her endorsement deals, costing her an estimated two million dollars. Despite those consequences, King's courage and willingness to live authentically cemented her legacy as not only a tennis icon but also one of the most important trailblazers in sports history.
Glenn Burke
In 1982, Glenn Burke became the first former Major League Baseball player to come out as gay, stepping away from the game because, as he put it, "I had finally gotten to the point where it was more important to be myself than a baseball player." While Burke did not come out publicly until after his retirement, he had already been open about his sexuality with teammates and management during his playing career, making him the first known Major League player to do so.
Burke played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics from 1976 to 1979, but his professional baseball career ultimately lasted just four seasons. While several factors contributed to his early retirement, Burke later spoke openly about the toll of navigating professional baseball as a gay man at a time when few athletes could do so publicly.
Speaking with Michael J. Smith in 1982, Burke explained the unique challenges faced by gay athletes. He admitted, "It's harder to be a gay in sports than anywhere else, except maybe president. Baseball is probably the hardest sport of all. Every man in America wants his son to be a baseball player. The first thing every father buys for his son is a ball and glove. It's all-American. Only a superstar could come out and admit he was gay and hope to stay around, and still the fans probably would call the stadium and say they weren't going to bring their kids. Instead of understanding, they blackball you."
Even if the recognition would not come until years later, Burke's experience helped illuminate the realities faced by queer athletes. His life was tragically cut short in 1995 due to complications from AIDS, but his influence extended beyond his courage on and off the field.
Burke is also widely credited with helping create the high five. On October 2, 1977, he stood on deck as his Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker rounded the bases after hitting his 30th home run of the season. As Baker crossed home plate, Burke raised his hand in celebration, and Baker slapped it, creating what is widely regarded as the first high five in professional sports. The moment became even more memorable moments later when Burke stepped to the plate and launched the first home run of his major-league career. Waiting for him when he returned to the dugout was Baker, hand raised for another high five.
Nearly five decades later, the gesture remains a staple of sports around the world, serving as an unlikely reminder of Burke's lasting place in baseball history.
Reflecting on his legacy years later, Burke offered perhaps the clearest summary of what he had accomplished: "They can't ever say now that a gay man can't play in the majors, because I'm a gay man and I made it."
Billy Bean
Nearly two decades after Glenn Burke came out, Billy Bean picked up the mantle as one of the most visible LGBTQ+ voices in Major League Baseball. Bean played for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres from 1987 to 1995, logging a total of 519 plate appearances in 272 career games.
Like Burke before him, Bean chose to retire early rather than continue living as a closeted professional baseball player. More than three years after playing his final game, he publicly came out in 1999, becoming just the second Major League player ever to do so. What makes Bean's story unique, however, is that he eventually returned to the sport that he felt forced to leave behind.
In July 2014, Bean made his return to the game he loved, joining the Office of the Commissioner as MLB's first-ever Ambassador for Inclusion. The role was created to help foster a more welcoming environment throughout the sport. He was hired by then-Commissioner Bud Selig, who later explained the hiring, saying, "You couldn’t help but like him. Somebody called him a hero in the paper, and that’s true. He believed in his causes — multiple causes — and he wasn’t afraid to tell you, and he wasn’t afraid to do something about it. Not always easy in this world, but Billy did it. So to me, he’s a hero, and I’m grateful for everything he did."
Reflecting on his return to baseball, Bean acknowledged the irony of the moment. "It's ironic that I am returning to baseball to help erase the same reason I left," Bean said. "Our work is just beginning. I want this generation's coming-out stories to be uplifting, happy, and inspire others to be who they are, and fulfill their true potential. At the end of the day, it's all about giving everyone the best chance to succeed, to play free of burden." For Bean, advocacy became a way to ensure that future players would not have to make the same choice he did.
Having died in 1995, Burke never saw players like Billy Bean come out and live openly, and he never got to see Bean return to Major League Baseball as its first Ambassador for Inclusion.
In May 2020, Bean wrote an emotional letter addressed to Burke, reflecting on the growing acceptance of LGBTQ+ athletes and the progress baseball had made since Burke's career. It was both a tribute and a thank-you to the player whose courage helped make that progress possible.
Jason Collins
By 2013, the sports world was changing, but one barrier still remained. No active player in one of America's four major men's professional sports leagues had publicly come out as gay. That changed in April of 2013 when Jason Collins shared his story in Sports Illustrated, signaling a new era of visibility for LGBTQ+ athletes. Collins was a free agent at the time, meaning he chose to be open about his identity before signing with a new team. After 13 seasons in the NBA and stints with six different franchises, he was stepping into uncharted territory.
"Now I'm a free agent, literally and figuratively," Collins wrote. "I've reached that enviable state in life in which I can do pretty much what I want. And what I want is to continue to play basketball. I still love the game, and I still have something to offer. My coaches and teammates recognize that. At the same time, I want to be genuine and authentic and truthful."
For Collins, coming out was not just a public announcement but a personal liberation and a necessary step toward living authentically.
"No one wants to live in fear," he wrote. "I've always been scared of saying the wrong thing. I don't sleep well. I never have. But each time I tell another person, I feel stronger and sleep a little more soundly. It takes an enormous amount of energy to guard such a big secret. I've endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie. I was certain that my world would fall apart if anyone knew. And yet when I acknowledged my sexuality I felt whole for the first time. I still had the same sense of humor, I still had the same mannerisms and my friends still had my back."
After returning to the league and appearing in 22 games with the Brooklyn Nets, Collins retired from basketball and transitioned into a new role as an NBA Cares Ambassador. In the years that followed, he became a leading advocate for diversity, equality, and inclusion, representing the league at Pride events and community outreach programs across the country.
Earlier this year, Collins passed away after a valiant fight with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Though his life was cut too short, his legacy endures. By choosing authenticity at a time when no active player in America's major men's professional sports leagues had publicly done so, Collins helped redefine what was possible for LGBTQ+ athletes. Because of pioneers like Collins, future generations of athletes have been able to spend less energy hiding who they are and more energy becoming who they want to be.
Quinn
The world Jason Collins helped create became increasingly visible in the years that followed. As more athletes felt empowered to live openly, the conversation around inclusion expanded beyond sexual orientation to include gender identity as well.
As the first openly transgender and nonbinary athlete to win an Olympic medal, Quinn represented a new generation of athletes pushing the boundaries of visibility and inclusion. Their achievement served as a reminder that progress in sports is an ongoing journey.
A midfielder for the Canadian National Team, Quinn remains the highest-drafted Canadian in NWSL history. After a standout collegiate career at Duke University, they were selected third overall by the Washington Spirit in the 2018 NWSL College Draft. Today, Quinn plays for the Vancouver Rise, helping build the future of women's soccer in Canada's growing Northern Super League.
In 2020, Quinn came out as non-binary in a social media post. Just one year later, they played a pivotal role in helping Canada capture their first-ever Olympic gold medal in women's soccer at the Tokyo Olympics. Quinn appeared in all six matches during Canada's historic run, starting five and serving as a steady presence throughout a tournament defined by narrow margins and high-pressure moments.
While previous generations of LGBTQ+ athletes often struggled simply for the chance to compete openly, Quinn was able to achieve one of the highest honors in sports while living authentically and unapologetically, helping build a path for future generations. "Athletics is the most exciting part of my life and it brings me the most joy," Quinn said. "If I can allow kids to play the sports they love, that's my legacy and that's what I'm here for."
These athletes are far from a comprehensive list. From Luke Prokop to Megan Rapinoe to Nikki Hiltz and many others, LGBTQ+ athletes continue to find the courage to live and compete openly.
In many ways, that alone is something worth celebrating. There was a time when finding even a handful of openly queer athletes at the highest levels of sport was difficult. Today, there are many more. Yet the work is not finished, and barriers still remain.
The progress we see today was built on the sacrifices, resilience, and courage of pioneers like Billie Jean King, Glenn Burke, Billy Bean, Jason Collins, Quinn, and countless others whose stories may never make headlines. Every step forward in sports has been made possible by athletes willing to take a step into the unknown, making the path a little easier for those who followed and those to come.
Edited by: Kelly Cassette
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