Competitive Swimmers Who Are LGBTQ

Despite its image of a relatively straightforward and non-impact sport, the competitive swimming world is individualistic with a very macho, testosterone-driven homophobia. This assessment can be drawn from the many autobiographies and memoirs written by out LGBTQ individuals who detail the agony they had in the closet prior to coming out. The notion of catching AIDS by swimming in the same water as an infected individual is an infamous example of ignorance surrounding this disease.

To counter this hostile environment, many local LGBTQ swim clubs have been formed with numerous inter-club competitive events, especially at the Masters level of competition. The success of the Gay Games has been a big boost to LGBTQ competitive participation in the sport.

Many of the competitive swimmers on this list are Olympic-calibre athletes who have won medals, including the renowned Ian Thorpe of Australia, Mark Tewksbury of Canada, and Johan Kenkhuis of The Netherlands. Swimmer Diana Nyad of the United States was the first individual to swim from Cuba to the United States.

The most prominent international organization for the community is the International Gay & Lesbian Aquatics group. Its mission is to promote participation in aquatic sports among lesbians and gay men and friends of the community, and to ensure maintenance of the highest standards for aquatic competitions and international standards for all Gay Games and IGLA Championships.

Australia

Austria