On Monday, Carl Nassib who plays for the NFL side Las Vegas Raiders announced openly that he is gay. We have compiled a list of 10 active athletes who are either gay, lesbian or bisexual.
The Raiders defensive lineman became the first active National Football League athlete to publicly come out. Nassib has had a 5-year stint in the NFL including playing for the Cleveland Browns and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining Las Vegas Raiders and says he’s happy to finally get it off his chest.
The 28-year-old athlete showered gratitude on his coaches, teammates, and the NFL for their support.
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In a video posted on his Instagram account, Nassib said: “I just want to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay. I just think that representation and visibility are so important. I actually hope that like one-day videos like this and the whole coming-out process are just not necessary, but until then I’m going to do my best and my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting, that’s compassionate. Sadly, I have agonized over this moment for the last 15 years.”
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Nassib also added that he would be donating the sum of $100,000 to The Trevor Project, is a nonprofit group geared towards suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth.
In the past, a handful of NFL players had publicly announced that they were gay, but their playing careers were over when they did.
Nassib coming out while still an active athlete has been celebrated as a historic reflective moment by Sarah Kate Ellis, chief executive of the LGBTQ advocacy organisation, Glaad.
Also, the announcement has been deemed a significant turning point for the NFL, making Nassib the first openly gay active player in the league’s 101-year history.
See 10 other active gay, lesbian and bisexual athletes
1. Carl Nassib (gay)
We’ve already discussed the man of the moment in detail and his coming out story above.
2. Nikki Hiltz (lesbian)
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Nikki Hiltz is a mid-distance runner who is openly gay. Hiltz came out as transgender and non-binary on 31 March 2021, a day set aside as International Transgender Day of Visibility. She had come out publicly as a lesbian in 2019 but her family and friends already knew.
3. Isadora Cerullo (lesbian)
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Isadora Cerullo is a Brazilian-American rugby sevens player who was raised in North Carolina. She is one of four children and a triplet, with two brothers of the same age and one older brother. Cruello is married to her lesbian partner, Marjorie Yuri Enya.
4. Megan Rapinoe (lesbian)
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Megan Rapinoe is probably one of the most vocal in the LGBTQ+ community. She is a footballer who plays for the USA women’s national team and also the captain of the side. Rapinoe is engaged to Seattle Storm basketball player, Sue Bird.
5. Jessica Carter (lesbian)
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She is a female football star who plays for Chelsea’s women’s team in England. Carter and her Chelsea teammate Ann-Katrin Berger are in a relationship.
6. Kerron Clement (gay)
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Kerron Stephon Clement is a Trinidadian-born American track and field athlete who held the indoor world record back in 2005 in the 400-meter sprint, having broken Michael Johnson’s mark. He came out as gay on 11 October 2019, National Coming Out Day, during a Nike event.
7. Rose Cossar (lesbian)
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Rosie is a Canadian rhythmic gymnast, who her country at the 2011 World Rhythmic Gymnastics championships. She came out publicly in December 2014.
8. Shawnacy Barber (gay)
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He is a Canadian track and field athlete specialising in the pole vault and a former world champion. Barber came out as gay in April 2017.
9. Derrick Gordon (gay)
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Derrick Gordon is a shooting guard for Germany 2nd Basketball Bundesliga side Römerstrom Gladiators Trier. He came out to his family and teammates in April 2014. Months later, he decided to come out publicly. Gordon became the first openly gay men’s basketball player in Division I.
10. Stephany Mayor (bisexual)
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Mexican footballer who plays a forward role for Liga MX Femenil club Tigres UANL and also the Mexico women’s national team. She was in a relationship with fellow Mexico women’s national teammate Bianca Sierra, when they both came out in 2016.
Is Sha’Carri Richardson a lesbian or bisexual?
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She is a 21-year old American track and field sprinter who recently qualified for the 2020 summer Olympics. She competes in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash and is ranked in the top ten fastest women for the 100 m after reaching a personal best of 10.72 seconds.
While Richardson is yet to confirm her sexuality publicly, she mentioned having a ‘girlfriend’ after her 100m race win in June 2021. Also, she tweeted a rainbow in clear solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. The general consensus is that she is lesbian but we will wait until she confirms this herself before adding her to the list.
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Seriously WE DON’T CARE!! And it’s even worse that you would think this as “celeb news” More like “Gossip”. It’s unnecessary to put anyone in the lime light because of their sexual preference. If that’s ALL you can think of to write about, maybe you should find another career! I not going out into the world and say “Guess what I need to have a parade and have my face and name splattered ALL around because I’m straight.” NO ONE CARES. And to the people that allowed this, if you think this is what defines who you are as a person, you must live a very sad life!
Let humans be who they want to be.