Three years ago, I woke up ahead of the alarm I’d set for an early morning basketball game — early for me, not so much for the athletes in Tokyo — and turned on my television while I made some coffee. Women’s Foil was on. I don’t know what Foil is — hell, I’m still not sure what Foil is — but it was on, I was up, and I had time before basketball started so I settled into watch.
I didn’t know what was happening on my screen. I didn’t know how fencers scored or what made the fencers’ helmets light up red or green. But the more I watched, the more I gleaned about the sport. The more I watched, the more invested I became. By the end, I was yelling at my television, cheering for competitors who were strangers minutes ago, like I’d been watching Foil my entire life.
For me, that’s part of the beauty of the Olympics: the chance to discover something new and to completely get swept up in it. The Olympics are a chance to discover athletes, who have been perfecting their craft in relative obscurity, and finally give get their moment to shine. Increasingly, those athletes getting that moment in the sun are queer. According to Outsports, there will be at least 155 LGBT athletes competing at the Paris Olympics….and so, of course, as is our wont, we’ve got to pass along the scoop on who all is gay here.
If you’re looking to fawn over these gorgeous athletes support these athletes in their competitions, simply click their names to access their Olympics.com profile. It should have the most up-to-date scheduling information.
Athletics/Track & Field
Michelle-Lee Ahye (Trinidad and Tobago)
Events: 100m and 4 x 100m Relay
Ana Carolina Azevedo (Brazil)
Events: 100m and 200m
Izabela da Silva (Brazil)
Event: Discus Throw
Nikki Hitlz (United States)
Event: 1500m
Sha’Carri Richardson (United States)
Events: 100m, 200m, and 4 x 100m Relay
Raven Saunders (United States)
Event: Shot Put
Senni Salminen (Finland)
Events: Triple Jump
Badminton
Kristy Gilmour (Great Britain)
Basketball
Read about the 17 gay Basketball players competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics in this post.
Beach Volleyball
Ana Patricia (Brazil)
Boxing
Hergie Bacyadan (Philippines)
Weight Class: 75kg
Beatriz “Bia” Ferreira (Brazil)
Weight Class: 60kg
Bia’s girlfriend, Ana Carolina Azevedo, will also be at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, competing in the 100m and 200m.
Kellie Harrington (Ireland)
Weight Class: 60kg
Cindy Ngamba (IOC Refugee Team)
Weight Class: 75kg
Nesthy Petecio (Philippines)
Weight Class: 57kg
Chuthamat Raksat (Thailand)
Weight Class: 50kg
Irma Testa (Italy)
Weight Class: 57kg
Michaela Walsh (Ireland)
Weight Class: 57kg
Marissa Williamson Pohlman (Australia)
Weight Class: 66kg
Canoe Slalom
Evy Leibfarth (United States)
Events: Kayak Single, Canoe Single, and Kayak Cross
Cycling: BMX Freestyle
Perris Benegas (United States)
Natalya Diehm (Australia)
Hannah Roberts (United States)
Cycling: Road
Marianne Vos (Netherlands)
Event: Road Race
Cycling: Track
Lauriane Genest (Canada)
Events: Keirin, Sprint, Team Sprint
Equestrian
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (Denmark)
Events: Dressage, Individual and Team
Catherine is married to Danish Show Jumper Rasmine Laudrup-Dufour, the daughter of former professional footballer Brian Laudrup.
Fencing
Lauren Scruggs (United States)
Events: Foil Individual and Foil Team
Football
Read about the 45+ women’s soccer players competing in the 2024 Olympics in this post.
Golf
Georgia Hall (Great Britain)
Event: Individual Stroke Play
Alena Sharp (Canada)
Event: Individual Stroke Play
Handball
Barbara “Babi” Arenhart (Brazil)
Adriana Cardoso de Castro (Brazil)
Adriana is dating handball player Alba Menéndez.
Mariana Costa (Brazil)
Bruna de Paula (Brazil)
Bruna is engaged to Hungarian handball player Csenge Fodor.
Nathalie Hagman (Sweden)
Csenge Kuczora (Hungary)
Hockey
Dirkie Chamberlain (South Africa)
Dirkie is dating former field hockey player and current occupational and social therapist Marieke Elizabeth de Haas.
Fiona Crackles (Great Britain)
Charlotte Englebert (Belgium)
Charlotte is dating fellow field hockey player Emma Puvrez.
Ashley Hoffman (United States)
Marleen Jochems (Netherlands)
Marleen is dating field hockey player Wendela van Dedem.
Sarah Jones (Great Britain)
Ines Lardeur (France)
Alice Lesgourgues (France)
Mathilde Petriaux (France)
Emma Puvrez (Belgium)
Emma is dating her aforementioned teammate Charlotte Englebert.
Abigail “Abi” Raye (Belgium)
Abi’s partner, Ireen van den Assem, is a Dutch field hockey player — she’s currently pregnant but will be in Paris cheering on her wife!
Anne Veenendaal (Netherlands)
Anne is dating Irish field hockey player Ayeisha McFerran.
Judo
Alice Bellandi (Italy)
Events: Mixed Team and 78kg
Amandine Buchard (France)
Events: Mixed Team and 52kg
Raz Hershko (Judo)
Events: Mixed Team and 78kg
Rafaela Silva (Brazil)
Events: Mixed Team and 57kg
Guusje Steenhuis (Netherlands)
Events: Mixed Team and 78kg
Sanne van Dijke (Netherlands)
Events: Mixed Team and 70kg
Rowing
Nina Castagna (United States)
Event: Eight
Teal Cohen (United States)
Event: Quadruple Sculls
Alina Hagstrom (United States)
Event: Rowing (Alternate)
Grace Joyce (United States)
Event: Quadruple Sculls
Regina Salmons (United States)
Event: Eight
Tabea Schendekehl (Germany)
Event: Quadruple Sculls
Jessica Thoennes (United States)
Event: Pair
Emma Twigg (New Zealand)
Event: Single Sculls
Rugby Sevens
Olivia Apps (Canada)
Kemisetso Baloyi (South Africa)
Alysha Corrigan (Canada)
Lauren Doyle (United States)
Doyle appears to be dating rugby player Summer Jones.
Marina Fioravanti (Brazil)
Nicole Heavirland (United States)
Meg Jones (Great Britain)
Meg Jones and her partner, Celia Quansah, both competed on their rugby team in the Tokyo Olympics. Unfortunately Celia had an injury last year and thus didn’t make the team. But she’ll be there to cheer Meg on.
Jasmine Joyce (Great Britain)
Jasmine is married to rugby player Alisha Butchers.
Alev Kelter (United States)
Kayleigh Powell (Great Britain)
Steph Rovetti (United States)
Sharmi Smale Williams (Australia)
Lauren Torley (Great Britain)
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (New Zealand)
Portia is married to rugby player Renee Woodman-Wickliffe.
Sailing
Lara Vadlau (Austria)
Event: Mixed Dinghy
Lara’s dating footballer and fellow Olympian Lea Schuller!
Shooting
Jolyn Beer (Germany)
Event: 50m Rifle 3 Positions
Skateboarding
Jazmin Alvarez (Colombia)
Event: Street
Surfing
Sarah Baum (South Africa)
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6dXQdFJ8yi/
Tyler Wright (Australia)
Swimming
Ana Marcela Cunha (Brazil)
Event: Marathon Swimming – 10km
Melanie Henique (France)
Event: 50m Freestyle
Tennis
Nadia Podoroska (Argentina)
Events: Singles and Doubles
Nadia is engaged to Argentine tennis player Guillermina Naya.
Demi Schuurs (Netherlands)
Event: Doubles
Volleyball
Anne Buijs (Netherlands)
Ana Carolina Da Silva (Brazil)
Ana is married to Dutch volleyball player Anne Elise Buijs.
Paola Egonu (Italy)
Gabriela Guimaraes (Brazil)
Rosamaria Montibeller (Brazil)
Ebrar Karakury (Türkiye)
Haleigh Washington (United States)
Wrestling
Kayla Miracle (United States)
Event: Freestyle 62kg
Do you know any other LGBT Olympians that should be featured on our list? Post your additions in the comments!