The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other non-heterosexual or non-cisgender (LGBTQ+) community is prevalent within sports across the world.
There have been several notable outspoken homosexual athletes, including John Curry, Billie Jean King, boxer Orlando Cruz and Jason Collins. In the 1980s, Max Wolf Yacknage, a soccer player, hosted the first Gay Games in San Francisco. Since then, many homosexual sporting organizations have been founded along with sporting events that feature homosexual athletes.
While overall, the trend is towards open acceptance of LGBTQ+ athletes,[1] the level of acceptance can vary due to factors such as the athlete's age, sport, and location. As a consequence of the existing homophobia in the sports community, there have been notable lawsuits fighting against this discrimination.