According to Outsports.com there are twenty openly gay and lesbian athletes competing at the 2012 Olympics in London this summer.
The number doesn’t include two coaches and two gay Paralympians, this number compares to eleven at the Athens games and just ten in Beijing, which suggests that there is growing progress in athletes feeling empowered to be open with their sexuality.
The Outsports list of open gay and lesbian Olympians are:
Matthew Mitcham (Australia, diving); Edward Gal (Netherlands, equestrian); Lisa Raymond (U.S., doubles tennis); Judith Arndt (Germany, cycling); Seimone Augustus (U.S., basketball); Imke Duplitzer (Germany, fencing); Megan Rapinoe (U.S. soccer); Marilyn Agliotti (Netherlands, field hockey); Carl Hester (Britain, equestrian); Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel (Netherlands, field hockey).
Mayssa Pessoa (Brazil, handball); Rikke Skov (Denmark, handball); Maartje Paumen (Netherlands, field hockey); Natalie Cook (Australia, beach volleyball); Alexandra Lacrabère (France, handball); Jessica Landström (Sweden, soccer); Hedvig Lindahl (Sweden, soccer); Lisa Dahlkvist (Sweden, soccer); and Carole Péon (France, triathlon) and Jessica Harrison (France, triathlon). Péon and Harrison are a couple.
Another lesbian, US wrestler Stephany Lee, qualified for the 2012 games but was kicked off the team last month after failing a drugs test.
There is also one lesbian coach, Pia Sundhage, of the US women’s soccer team, and one gay Paralympian, the horse rider Lee Pearson.
