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Email2024 has been a tumultuous year for LGBTQ+ people but one undeniably bright spark is this year’s Paralympic Games.
As a professional wheelchair basketball player, I’ll never forget the thrill of competing for Team GB in 2012 and 2016. I’m in Paris this year, as a spectator, to cheer on my teammates and watch my fellow athletes perform at their best. The atmosphere of joy, exhilaration and inclusivity is palpable.
Despite this, one thing that still nags at me is the lack of disabled athletes who are, like myself, openly LGBTQ+. While this year’s Summer Olympic games in Paris rightfully featured a record number of openly LGBTQ+ athletes, too many incredible sportspeople, including Paralympians, still feel that they have to hide an important part of their identity.
As an openly bi athlete, who came out in 2013, I know the strength and courage it takes to be your true self both on and off the pitch. Having been competing in international wheelchair basketball competitions since 2009, I remember the whirlwind of ‘what ifs’ that zoomed around my head as I decided to come out publicly. ‘What if my teammates were not supportive?’, ‘What if I lost out on professional opportunities?’, ‘What if my fans were not accepting?’
In the end, I was incredibly fortunate to have a supportive team, supportive management, incredible inclusive fans, and so many friends and family who will always have my back. However, the sad truth is, that many disabled LGBTQ+ athletes may not be as lucky. Wheelchair basketball has long been a pioneer in inclusivity, and I had teammates who were already out before I was. That reassurance and visibility that I received from the people around me made a huge difference in making a decision that meant I could finally be authentic myself while playing the best sport in the world.
Many of my fellow disabled LGBTQ+ athletes will not have seen any openly LGBTQ+ sportspeople in their sport – making them feel like they don’t even exist. I know that many feel the pressure of taking on dual identities of being disabled and being LGBTQ+, but these things can and do coexist.
This must change. I know that when covering or talking about people with multiple marginalized identities, it’s often convenient and easier to focus on one over the other – but all our stories are so much more interesting when we’re allowed to embrace all the things that make us unique, including being LGBTQ+.
It’s only when we feel seen as more than a ‘superhuman athlete’ that my fellow LGBTQ+ athletes with disabilities might feel more empowered to be their full selves, both on and off the pitch.
I hope that this Paralympics represents a turning point in how Paralympic athletes are presented and talked about both on and off screen. Initiatives like Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces are a shining example of how open and inclusive conversations around sport help make sure that all LGBTQ+ feel that they can be their true selves when playing or cheering the sports they love.
We need to continue to move on from stereotypes to make sport more inclusive for all, including the amazing LGBTQ+ Paralympians who are currently inspiring so many of us.
