The history of the LGBTQ movement within the world of athletics is marked by stories of individual bravery that build on all those before them.
Although there were several before him, NFL player David Kopay is generally credited with beginning a movement when he came out as gay in 1975, shortly after retiring from football.
The following year, tennis player Renee Richards was outed as a transgender female and was barred from competing in the US Open women’s division. Richards eventually won a court case that allowed her to continue competing as a woman.
Following Kopay and Richards, LGBTQ athletes began to surface more and more in the public eye, whether by personal choice or not.