Paris 2024 sets record for most number of openly LGBTQI+ athletes but advocates say progress isn't finished
When Belgian Charline Van Snick flirted with another female athlete after winning the bronze medal in Judo at the London 2012 Olympic Games, she said her coach told her she needed to stay in the closet for the future of her career.
“It was a moment when I didn't feel like myself,” the now-retired Olympian said.
“He said, 'Charline, you have to fit in the box. Everyone is looking at you and you have to be straight'. I understood that it's not a place to be yourself, it's not a place to be LGBTQI+."
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While the Olympic Games have made giant strides in the years since — Paris 2024 set a record for the most athletes who are openly LGBTQI+ — advocates and athletes say international bodies have a long way to go in opening up to the queer community.
Michelle Heyman celebrates with her partner Christine Aldridge following the Matildas' group B match against Zambia. Getty
During the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, sent a message in his speech to the world: “In our Olympic world, we all belong."
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Parisian officials continued their push for inclusion with the opening of the Olympic Pride House, located on a boat floating on the city's famous Seine River.
Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, French minister for sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games told The Associated Press they were “sending a message of inclusion” in these Games.
“It's important to Paris, to keep fighting against all types of discrimination," Oudéa-Castéra said.
Pride-themed nails on display at the opening of Pride House in Paris. AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko
"We need to drive this progress in society and the reason I am here is because sport is a very powerful agent to do that.”
Paris 2024 broke a record by having 191 openly LGBTQI+ athletes competing, according to Outsports, a website compiling a database of openly queer Olympians.
The count surpassed the 186 athletes at the COVID-19-delayed Tokyo 2021.
The Olympic officials' messages and the record were welcomed by many in the LGBTQI+ community like 31-year-old Matt Clark, among those celebrating the inauguration of the Pride House.
Clark said Paris has “started a legacy that is going to continue in other Games.”
“It is going to continue with other athletes and young people everywhere that it is okay to be gay and it is okay to be queer and you have a future in front of you,” Clark said.
“Five, 10 years ago you had coaches telling their athletes don’t come out, it will ruin your career. Now it has become a springboard for people’s careers.”
Clark cited British diver Tom Daley's rise to celebrity as an example.
Great Britain's Tom Daley during the men's synchronised 10m platform final at Paris 2024. Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images
The number of openly LGBTQI+ Olympians has skyrocketed in recent decades.
Jim Buzinski, co-founder of Outsports, said when they started tracking athletes at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, they counted only around five who were openly LGBTQI+.
“More and more people are coming out,” Buzinski said.
“They realise it’s important to be visible because there’s no other way to get representation.”
Van Snick said it took her a long time to be truly comfortable with her own sexuality, and that she was really only able to do so when she stepped out of the spotlight.
She noted ongoing debate, and in some cases, exclusion of transgender athletes in Olympic events as disappointing.
“The world has grown since I was an Olympic medalist," Van Snick said.
“But when I think of the trans question, we have a long way to go.”
Still, Buzinski and LGBTQI+ advocates see Paris 2024 as an opportunity for athletes who hail from parts of the world where competitors can't be openly gay because of harsh restrictions on queer populations.
“Coming to Paris, coming to France, they are able to be their true selves," said Jérémy Goupille, co-chair of the Pride House at the Paris Olympics.
The Pride House, which debuted at the 2010 Olympics, is located on a boat floating on the Seine River and acts as the hub for the queer community during the competition.
Goupille said security concerns remain for many athletes.
Dating apps like Grindr, Bumble and Tinder have long been used as a shield for gay athletes who want to connect with other queer people in the countries where they are competing but don't want to feel publicly exposed.
But he said in previous Games, some have tried to expose athletes who are not officially out by checking heights, weights and locations of people on those apps.
Because of that, Grindr announced that in Paris they have disabled location-based features within the Olympic Village where athletes stay and other official Games areas, saying it would allow LGBTQI+ athletes to connect “authentically without worrying about prying eyes or unwanted attention.”
The app made the same decision for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera takes part in the opening ceremony of Pride House, the safe space for the LGBT+ community of athletes, during Paris 2024. AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko
“If an athlete is not out or comes from a country where being LGBTQI+ is dangerous or illegal, using Grindr can put them at risk of being outed by curious individuals who may try to identify and expose them on the app," Grindr said in a statement.
Disabling those features was met with some criticism on social media last week after some users reported problems accessing the app in the Olympic Village.
“You have to protect them because so many bad people exist. At the same time, there are so many beautiful athletes," Goupille said.
"They want to meet someone and it's difficult.”
