Sport, Identity, and Inclusion: A Pride Month Spotlight

This Pride season, EPL has some exciting events focused on 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion in sports, and we’d love for you to be part of them! On June 11, we welcome Canadian sports hero Mark Tewksbury for a presentation and Q&A on Sport, Identity and Inclusion, moderated by local out gold medalist Lori-Ann Muenzer. Later in the month, our Strathcona Branch will host Inclusion in Action in partnership with Sport Edmonton. For our full lineup of Pride activities, visit our website.

2SLGBTQ+ Inclusion in Sports

This Pride season is the first since the cultural sensation of the adapted Heated Rivalry TV series. The show’s fearlessness in breaking from romantic norms, its strong critical acclaim, and its subversion of athlete stereotypes have drawn new fans to both 2SLGBTQ+ sports-themed romance books and hockey. And yet, despite this surge in fictional representation, the reality of 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion in sports remains varied.

For further reading, we recommend:

Men’s Professional Sports

In North America’s “big four” professional sports leagues, there are currently no out male athletes. Historically, representation has been limited, with most leagues having only a few—or even zero—minutes of gameplay by out athletes. The NFL’s Carl Nassib was out for two seasons (2021–2022), and the NBA’s Jason Collins played 164 minutes after coming out late in his career. Neither the NHL nor MLB has had a game featuring an openly out athlete.

However, each of these leagues (except the NHL) has had athletes come out after retirement. Despite the lack of active representation, the Edmonton invention Pride Tape has received strong support from top NHL players, including Oilers captain Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Leon Draisaitl.

Major League Soccer (MLS), often considered just outside the “big four,” has featured two out athletes with significant careers: Robbie Rogers, who came out in 2013, and Collin Martin, who came out in 2018. Rogers briefly retired in 2013 after coming out but returned to play from 2014–2017, winning the 2014 MLS Cup. MLS is often viewed as a trailblazer in men’s professional sports, with many teams supporting prominent 2SLGBTQ+ fan groups.

For further reading, we recommend:

Women’s Professional Sports

In stark contrast, women’s professional sports leagues feature dozens of out athletes. “Captain Clutch” Marie-Philip Poulin plays alongside her fiancée Laura Stacey for the PWHL’s Montréal Victoire. Stars such as Sue Bird and Brittney Griner (WNBA), and Megan Rapinoe and Tierna Davidson (NWSL), have had storied and celebrated careers.

2SLGBTQ+ representation in women’s professional sports is widely considered an inclusion success story, with significant progress made since the 1990s.

For further reading, we recommend:

Amateur Sports

Amateur sports have also seen a growing number of out athletes. At the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, 199 openly 2SLGBTQ+ athletes competed (88% women), and at the 2026 Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics, 50 competed (78% women). Canada has had several groundbreaking 2SLGBTQ+ Olympians, including swimming gold medalist Mark Tewksbury, who came out in 1995, and Quinn, the first openly non-binary Olympian at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Trans athletes Laurel Hubbard (New Zealand, weightlifting) and Elis Lundholm (Sweden, freestyle skiing) have also broken barriers at recent Olympic Games.

For further reading, we recommend:

In A Place of Our Own, author June Thomas highlights the softball field as one of six spaces that shaped queer women’s culture.

2SLGBTQ+ Inclusive Leagues and Events

Styled after the Olympics on a quadrennial cycle, the Gay Games has been hosted since 1982 to create an inclusive space for 2SLGBTQ+ athletes to compete, with this year’s games taking place in Valencia, Spain. But 2SLGBTQ+ affirming sports leagues are popular in many urban centres, including our very own Team Edmonton, which offers 18 sports and activities to choose from for 2SLGBTQ+ adults and allies!